I'll Make You Mine
by jewels1798
Summary: Everyone is in love with Tony Stark. He's constantly followed by a mob of 'fans' and is the most popular kid in school. But what happens when Tony comes across Pepper Potts, a girl who isn't really interested? Will he change her mind? Highschool AU, eventual pepperony!
1. Chapter 1

**Hey Everybody, yes I know I am a terrible person for starting ANOTHER story with 2 (and one more alternate chapter of Peas in a Pod) stories that I have neglected. Oops :/ Sorry about that! THEY ARE NEXT ON MY PRIORITY LIST! I've just been busy with school (yes I'm back at school KILL ME) and yeah I haven't had much time. Anyway, here is a new story idea I've had and yeah...**

**It's AU and there are some OCs in there too! **

**Please review!**

**General Disclaimer: I don't own Iron Man or Marvel's characters.**

* * *

"So… Party tonight?" Olivia took her chewed pen out of her mouth and nudged Pepper while the oblivious teacher turned her back to the gossiping pair.

Pepper Potts cast her baby blue eyes on her disruptive friend and gave her a shrug. Her long, light ginger hair bounced and she looked down to her paper when the wary Mrs Baker turned.

"Is that a yes?" Olivia hissed. Pepper always thought of Olivia to be utterly gorgeous, with tanned olive skin and a perfect body, dark brown cascading hair, and cool green eyes that twinkled when she smiled. Olivia was nothing like Pepper, who paled in comparison.

"I don't know Liv." She muttered, focussed on the algebraic equations in front of her. Sitting next to Liv was not a good idea if you actually wanted to pass Math.

"It's at Tony Stark's house." Olivia ignored Pepper's unenthusiastic tone and nudged her friend again.

Tony Stark. The smartest, hottest, and most popular guy in school. Pepper bit her lip while writing down the answer for 'x'. She'd seen him around school a couple of times, but she'd never had a proper conversation with him-probably due to the fact that he's literally a celebrity and always surrounded by a crowd of people. Every girl at school drools over him, but Pepper didn't see what all the fuss was about. Tony Stark was just an arrogant rich kid who didn't really give a shit about anyone but himself.

The only time Pepper had really met Tony was when he and his entourage bumped into her in the school hallway, making her books and spare papers tumble to the floor. He then proceeded to continue with his stroll; totally ignoring the startled girl scrambling to collect all of her items sprawled over the ground.

So Pepper didn't really care for Tony Stark and all of his 'greatness'. But, she kind of wanted to go to the party. She sighed at the inner conflict in her head and gazed at the impatient Olivia staring at her in expectation of an answer.

"Fine."

Tony was known for his killer parties and Pepper couldn't resist her curiosity.

"Frick yeah! Okay, um, do you just want to come to mine at like, 8?"

"Yeah okay. Just…" Pepper paused and shook her head, returning to her equations.

"What?"

Pepper rolled her eyes, "Nothing…now actually do some work." She tapped her pen on Olivia's book.

"Whatever." Olivia returned her chewed pen to her mouth and stared at the whiteboard, trying to understand the concepts that she missed.

The truth was, Pepper was kind of nervous to go to a party at Tony Stark's house.

It's not like he would talk to her, but all the other people there were intimidating as hell and Pepper wasn't exactly the best at making conversation with strangers. The shy side of her kicked in and her freckle-laden cheeks turned a deep shade of red. But she could always just let Olivia do all the talking.

After what seemed of hours of quadratic equations, the lunch bell rang and the two girls hurriedly gathered their books and headed to the cafeteria.

* * *

"Oh my god that's so awesome!"

"Really? That must of sucked big time!"

"You're so funny!"

"Good one Tony!"

The banter of the crowd surrounding him echoed throughout the busy hallways. He gave each and everyone of his 'followers' a smirk or a wink. God they pissed him off.

"Gotta go guys. We'll continue this conversation later!" He chimed as he quickly steered away. A hand clasped on his shoulder, and immediately he knew who it was.

"Don't leave Tony. Come to lunch with me!" Courtney pouted. He had to admit she had a nice rack, but otherwise, Courtney was a real yawn. Typical whiny girl who draped herself on him. He sighed internally and plastered a fake smile on his face.

"Court, I actually already promised my friend I'd hang with him. But I'll see you tonight?" Tony flashed his trademark grin and the blonde nodded enthusiastically.

He turned and rolled his eyes at his friend who was waiting behind him. James Rhodes was Tony's only 'real' friend who was always there regardless of the crazy situations he landed himself in. Rhodey was his only friend that liked Tony for Tony, not his reputation.

"So how's… Christie?"

"Courtney." Tony muttered.

"Sorry, I lost count at Catharine." Rhodey grinned at the unamused Tony.

"Whatever, are you coming tonight? I need you man."

"Yeah I'll be there, as long as you introduce me to one of the various Courtney's."

The guys reached their lockers that were side by side (due to Tony's request) and dumped their books. "Let's go grab a bite to eat." Tony groaned as he shut his locker.

"We're taking your car because mines absolute shit."

Tony grinned and the two walked towards the school's parking lot and hopped in the white Audi r8. They sped to the nearest McDonalds while blasting ACDC from the stereo.

"So, how are the rents going?" Rhodey asked as they sat in the drive thru.

"Same old, they're busy." Tony replied gingerly.

Rhodey nodded. He knew that Tony's father was an asshole and his mother was always working, it was a sensitive topic.

"Welcome to McDonalds, what can I get you?"

"Yeah we'll have 2 large quarter pounder meals with a coke." Tony yelled at the box. "What do you want Rhodey?" Tony grinned.

"That'll come to $10.15." The woman said as they drove up to the next window.

Tony gave the woman a $50 bill and took the food, "Keep the change." He nodded as they sped out of the driveway.

"We gotta hurry, class starts in 5 minutes." Rhodey checked his watch before biting into his burger.

"Who said we were going back to school?" Tony smirked as they drove.

* * *

"Hey!" Olivia opened the door wearing a bright orange crop with a tight black skirt.

"Hey." Pepper smiled as she walked in. She was wearing a mint green off-the- shoulder top with denim shorts.

"You look good!" Olivia nodded at Pepper before running up the stairs. Pepper quickly followed and they ended up in the bathroom. Olivia was in the middle of straightening her hair and Pepper was adjusting hers.

"Okay, you ready?" Olivia grinned and Pepper smiled in return.

* * *

"Have you ever seen Tony Stark's house before?"

"Nope."

Olivia turned her head to face Pepper and mocked a shocked face. "What?!"

"Keep your eyes on the road Liv!"

"Yeah okay, but you haven't seen Tony's house before?"

Pepper shook her head and raised her eyebrows, "Is it really that special?"

"It's life changing."

Pepper let out a giggle and turned up the radio, bopping her head at the newest Ellie Goulding song.

"We're here." Olivia beamed as the song ended.

Pepper's eyes widened and she couldn't help but let her mouth drop open.

"Woah."

* * *

**Leave a review if you want to see what happens next,**

**HINT**

**PEPPERONY**

**PARTY**

**FUN**

**WOO**

**okay yeah just leave a review if you want me to continue HAHAAHHAHA**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey everyone! WOW thanks for such an amazing response! Thanks for all the follows, favourites and reviews :D**

**Anyway, you guys wanted it, so here's the next chapter!**

**Please review and continue to follow/fave IT MAKES MY DAY AND HELPS ME WRITE FASTER!**

* * *

The throbbing beat of the current song playing through the mansion pounded in Pepper's ears. She couldn't believe her eyes. Extravagant architecture surrounded her, along with hundreds of other teenagers entering the multi-million dollar house.

"C'mon." Olivia grabbed the gawking Pepper by the wrist and dragged her through the entrance.

As soon as they entered, Pepper was overwhelmed by the view of Malibu's ocean. "Wow, this is really…something."

Liv grinned at her stupefied friend, "It's actually the best place ever. Let's go somewhere else." She motioned to an archway and the two walked around, Olivia waving at various people and Pepper keeping her head low.

"How do you know where you're going?" Pepper whispered as Olivia kept changing direction and entering room after room.

"I've been to a couple of these, I know where the party's at."

"Well give me the grand tour." Pepper muttered sarcastically.

"Lighten up! What's wrong with you Pep?"

"One, don't call me that, and two, I don't know anyone." She hissed into Olivia's ear.

"Well let's get you introduced shall we?" Olivia scanned her eyes across the room and stopped, beaming at a crowd of people. "C'mon, lets get some drinks."

Pepper sighed and reluctantly followed.

* * *

"And then, she was actually a virgin!" Tony grinned and the crowd all laughed. He took another swig of the bottle of scotch in his hand and draped his arm around one of the wide-eyed desperate girls surrounding him. Rhodes was off somewhere with Courtney and Tony was left on his own (not really) and had to entertain himself.

More people came and joined the group in the kitchen, some grabbing drinks, others listening to Tony. He spied two girls coming his direction, one Latino that he recognised from school, and another he had not seen before. She was fair skinned with light freckles, and beautiful light red hair. Her legs went on for miles in the shorts she was wearing and Tony was instantly interested.

"Hey girls." He beamed as they reached the group, the girl with the dark hair grinned, "Hey Tony! Nice setup you got here."

He shrugged and smiled, "I like to call it my humble abode."

The girl behind her remained quiet, taking her eyes off the conversation and gazed into the distance.

"And…um…. sorry what's your name?"

"Liv." She stated. "God Tony we have Physics together!" She giggled and tried to playfully bump Tony but he swayed to the side, fixated on the nervous girl behind her.

"Liv, who's your friend over there?" He pointed in Pepper's direction and Olivia frowned.

"Oh, that's just my friend…" She trailed off when she turned to see Pepper scowling at her, shaking her head.

Olivia gave Pepper a look, and then turned back to Tony, "She's just a little shy, don't mind her."

Tony grinned and walked towards Pepper, totally ignoring the chattering Olivia he practically walked through.

Pepper quickly crossed her arms over her chest, startled at the beaming Tony Stark standing before her. She turned her attention to the ground, admiring the black and white tiles of the kitchen.

"What's your name? I haven't seen you around school." He inquired with a small smile. She looked up to his big brown, warm eyes and shook her head.

"Virginia." She murmured.

A loud laugh came from behind Tony, and he spun around to see Olivia with her hand over her mouth, giggling hysterically.

"What?" Tony spat. This girl was getting annoying.

Gasping for air between her words while laughing, she said, "Vir-Vir-Virginia! AHAHAHA! Oh god AHAHHA!" She continued to laugh to herself and Tony quickly turned his attention to the so-called 'Virginia' but found no sign of the red head.

"Huh?"

"Virginia, classic!" Olivia shrieked.

"What's so funny?" Tony put down the bottle of scotch; angry at how this annoying girl pretty much scared Virginia away.

"That's not her name, well technically it is…."

"Explain."

"Her real name is Virginia, but nobody calls her that."

"Well what is her name?" Tony spluttered.

"Pepper. Well only to her close friends and family…" The girl went on and Tony turned away, determined to find Pepper. She had to be the only girl in the school that didn't provoke him constantly, and he wanted to know why.

* * *

Her cheeks were flushed red; Pepper didn't expect Tony Stark to actually talk to her. And Olivia just made it worse. What a crappy friend.

She huffed and walked through the crowded house, pushing herself through hoards of people and trying to find an exit. Olivia can find her own way home because Pepper was outta there.

But she didn't take into account the sheer size of the house, and quickly became lost in the endless rooms and levels.

"Shit." She muttered under her breath as she looked around her, but couldn't see anything over the massive crowds of people.

Suddenly Pepper felt another body grind up against hers and she moved away disgusted.

"Hey gorgeous." Pepper felt her body slammed against a wall, pinned back by two monstrous hands.

She looked up to see a giant sweaty guy staring at her chest. She recognised him, Jason Hoffman, major jock.

"Get off loser." Pepper tried to push herself out of his hold, but he was nearly triple her size.

"Just one kiss… or feel." He grinned.

"No!" She shrieked as she tried to wriggle out of his grip. "Stop it!"

His drunken hands began to feel over her chest, but nobody could hear her cries.

As soon as he pressed his face onto hers, she heard a voice yell, "Fuck off Jason."

He quickly pulled away from the gasping Pepper, who fell to the floor startled.

"Or what?" Jason slowly said. Pepper saw Tony standing before Jason, the two eyeing off each other. This wasn't going to end well.

"I'll fucking smash your face."

Jason smirked and quickly turned back to Pepper, grabbing her wrist and pulling her up. She let out a squeal of pain and tried to rip her hand free.

"Let go of her!" Tony raced towards Jason and punched him in the jaw. His grip on Pepper quickly released and she scrambled away.

Jason growled and aimed a punch at Tony, but was narrowly missed as Tony quickly ducked. Hands quickly came around Jason and his friends were pulling him away. "I'll fucking get you back Stark."

Tony let out a breath and turned to see everyone had stopped and watched the fight. The crowd suddenly erupted into cheers and Tony grinned at the crowd, but quickly looked for Pepper.

"Nice one." A hand slapped on his back and Tony turned around to see a smiling Rhodey, with Courtney on his arm.

"Did you see her leave?"

"Who?"

"Pepper, she was just here..."

"Who's Pepper?"

Tony sighed, "Just a girl."

* * *

**oooOOOOoooooOOOOO!**

**What's going to happen next? Tell me your thoughts! Did you guys like Tony 'saving' Pepper? **

**Review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey! Yay ****slightly longer chapter! :D**

**I love reading all your reviews! Please keep leaving them! It helps me continue and give you daily updates ;)**

* * *

Pepper scrambled her way through the crowds and finally found the exit. Her hands shook as she took out her keys to the car. She sat in the front seat and closed the door quickly. Instead of putting the keys in the ignition, Pepper just sat there.

Her mind raced as she went through the events that just played out. It was dark in the car so Pepper couldn't see, but she could feel the tears slowly running down her face. When she was pinned up against the wall, she had never felt more vulnerable and terrified in her life.

She quickly fumbled for the keys and thought of how Tony Stark had came and 'rescued' her. She couldn't believe it. He had to be drunk, that was the only plausible explanation that she could come up with. She sighed as the gentle hum of the engine awoke her from her thoughts and drove away. She needed to leave, whatever Tony had done; she didn't want to see him again.

* * *

"Honey? Is that you?" Pepper grimaced as she heard the chime of her mother's voice.

"Yep, Hi Mum." She dropped her car keys into the bowl and headed for the stairs.

"Hold up Missy, why are you home so early?" Pepper turned to face her frowning mother. She resembled Pepper with the same cheekbones, strawberry blonde hair and a gentle face.

"No reason." Pepper shrugged and turned her back to her confused mother.

"Virginia? What's happened?"

Pepper groaned, "The party just got boring okay? Just leave me alone." On that note, Pepper trudged up the stairs.

Arriving at her bedroom, Pepper pushed her door open to find an unwelcome intruder.

"TILLY! GET OUT!"

The 13 year old turned around, a grin no longer plastered along her face, putting the book in her hands behind her back.

"Is that… my diary?" Pepper slowly walked to her sister, who was backing away.

"Whatcha gonna do Pep?" She teased.

Desperate, Pepper lunged for her sister, but Matilda smirked and swerved to the side.

"Y'know? I thought this would actually have some dirt in it, but you're just as boring as I thought." Matilda threw the book into Pepper's chest and made her way out of her sister's room.

"Bitch!" Pepper yelled.

Matilda turned and blew a kiss. She grinned, "How was the party? It was Tony Stark's right?"

Pepper scowled at her sister, "I thought I was boring?"

"Well you did mention something about Tony in your diary…"

"TILLY SHUT UP."

"Did you talk to him? Did you hook up with anyone?" Matilda leered.

Pepper's lip suddenly quivered at her second question.

Matilda grew a devious smile, "So you hooked up with someone? OOoooo!"

"Just leave." Pepper turned her back to Tilly, hiding the tears dwelling in her eyes.

"Fine! But I'll find out what you did Pep!" Matilda sang as she left the room. Pepper heard the door shut and fell back onto her bed.

She mentally cursed herself for leaving her room wide-open and showing weakness in front of her evil sister.

Pepper still couldn't get her mind over the whole party. What had happened to Olivia? She probably got a lift home with someone, and Pepper decided that she wouldn't bother texting her.

But Pepper was more concerned over the whole Tony situation. He had a reputation for getting with every girl he set his sights on, and her whole scenario screamed damsel in distress. Pepper didn't want to be one of those girls.

She snuggled herself inside her duvet and decided she would have to ignore Tony Stark if she ever wanted to continue with her normal life.

* * *

"Good Morning Sir, it is currently 9am and the weather in Malibu is partly cloudy with a chance of showers."

Tony groaned. What had happened last night?

He looked around to see his bedroom was spotless; the cleaners must have come and gone. Slowly, Tony tried to recollect the events of the previous night.

Girls.

Booze.

Girls.

He rubbed his head and remembered the fight.

Pepper.

He quickly hopped out of bed and rinsed himself in the shower before heading downstairs. Tony found his mother Maria to be reading the newspaper while sipping a mug of coffee.

She looked up and smiled, "Have fun last night Hun?"

"Yeah." Tony wandered to the kitchen and opened the fridge, pouring himself a glass of juice.

"What are you up to today?" She mused, her eyes now on her paper.

"Nothing much, might visit some friends." He went over to kiss her on the cheek, "What about you mum?"

"Well I'm going to relax as my schedule is pretty much clear today."

"Well, have fun." Tony smiled as he headed back upstairs to his room. He sat at his desk, wondering what to do.

"Jarvis?"

"Yes sir?"

"Bring up any records of a Virginia at school."

Holograms surrounded him, some of yearbooks from the 80s, others of teachers and various women that shared the name of this mystery girl. He finally spied something that looked vaguely familiar to Pepper.

"What's that one say?"

"Virginia Potts, class of 2010."

"Hmmmm. Anything else?"

Various other documents with the same name popped up, this included: more class photos, awards and other miscellaneous things. The one thing that Tony could draw from this evidence was that Pepper Potts was someone who wasn't in the spotlight, and the mystery excited him.

He sat back and put his hands behind his head, "I'm going to find you Miss Potts."

* * *

_**Hey! Can I have a lift this morning?**_

_**-Liv**_

Pepper dreaded this moment, the weekend had gone by so quickly and going back to school was not desired.

While brushing her teeth, Pepper replied:

_**Sure, be ready in 20. **_

Sighing, she placed her phone in her jeans pocket and headed downstairs.

"Morning." Her father smiled from behind a newspaper.

"Morning Dad." Pepper kissed her father on the cheek while grabbing an apple. Taking a big bite, she sat down at the table next to Matilda, who was reading the back of the cereal box.

"Morning." She nudged her sister, but Matilda remained concentrated on the cardboard maze.

"What have you got today?" Her father asked as he lowered his paper.

"Nothing much."

He nodded and returned to his paper, only to be interrupted by Pepper's mother, "Martin, you better hurry, you'll be late!"

"Okay Carol." He set down his paper and kissed his two daughters before kissing his wife and leaving the three women in the kitchen.

"Well I better be going." Pepper sighed as she stood up.

"Okay hun, see you this afternoon, have a good day!"

Pepper drove off in her car, and in a split second decision, passed Olivia's house.

Bitch can find her own way to school.

* * *

Walking into school, Pepper kept her head low just like she did at the party; not wanting to be recognised. She hurriedly headed to homeroom, and sat at the back of the classroom, instantly regretting not picking up Olivia.

She sighed and brought out her phone.

_**14 New Messages.**_

Pepper bit her lip and instantly knew who they were from. Right on cue, Olivia arrived and charged towards Pepper, slamming her books on a desk beside her.

"What the hell? You forgot me! I had to freaking walk!"

"I'm sorry, I-I forgot." Pepper stammered as she quickly came up with an excuse.

"Forgot?!"

"Uh, I had a lot on my mind."

Olivia's face instantly softened, "I meant to text you after the party. I'm sorry about Jason…" She muttered.

"It's fine."

Olivia took a seat as the teacher walked in and started taking attendance.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Olivia whispered.

Pepper shook her head.

The girls remained quiet for the remainder of the class and both headed for English.

"You know everyone's talking about how Tony's got a thing for you." Olivia broke the silence, a hint of coldness in her voice.

"Well…" Pepper stopped there, not really knowing what to say.

She was interrupted by a hand clasping onto her shoulder, "Hey…"

* * *

**Who is it? (hint: PEPPERONY MOMENTS COMING SOON)**

**What did you guys think of Tilly? Oh and what did you think of Pepper's little revenge to Liv?**

**Please Review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**HELLO! WOOO THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS AND FOLLOWS/FAVES! Keep 'em coming ;)**

**Here's the next chapter, P.S there's a subtle peas in a pod reference in there, 200 cookies to whoever guesses it!**

* * *

"Hey…" Tony's hand clasped on Pepper's shoulder timidly and the startled red head spun around.

She let out a little squeak at the sight of him. "Hi."

Tony could sense the hesitation in her voice and quickly tried to smother out any awkwardness, but he didn't do well when he asked, "So what did you think of the party?"

Pepper bit her lip and her grasp on her books tightened, she let out a small shrug of her shoulders and looked to the ground. Olivia stood behind her, tapping her foot impatiently and getting frustrated with her nervous friend.

Tony's brow furrowed at Pepper's reaction but she was quickly dragged away by Olivia.

"We're late." Olivia hissed at Tony, and with that she pulled the frozen Pepper down the hallway and disappeared into a classroom.

He stood there speechless.

* * *

Pepper quietly placed her books down on her desk and didn't even glance at her glaring English teacher.

As soon as the lesson continued, Olivia elbowed Pepper, "What's wrong with you? Tony asked you a question. You were embarrassing yourself… and me."

Pepper just shook her head and ignored Olivia's distractions. Tony came to talk to her and she froze. It was exactly the thing she feared that would happen. Would he try and come to her again? She had to avoid him at all costs; him talking to her again would not end well.

Pepper was nervous to talk about the whole incident at the party, she still hadn't talked to Liv about it and the last thing she wanted was for Tony to bring it up. Not to mention all of her peers staring at her and of course, Justin himself. She never wanted to see his face again, and the whole incident brought shivers down her spine.

The English teacher droned on about the importance of Shakespeare, and for once, Pepper listened.

* * *

Tony wandered to Physics aimlessly as he tried to ponder why Pepper was so shy. When he saw her against the wall his brain instantly told him to do something. Seeing her face when she fell to the floor broke his heart. Fear filled her eyes and he swore she stared into his eyes, pleading for help. Tony made a mental note to give Justin a few words at lunch.

As he entered the classroom, a few people gave Tony nods but otherwise no one really paid attention to his late arrival. He usually just came to class when he wanted to, and everyone, including the teachers (due to Tony's intelligence and how pretty much every class was a breeze to him) just accepted it.

"Mr Stark." Mr Roche muttered.

Tony gave the man a wink and assumed his usual seat next to Rhodey.

"What did I miss?"

"Artificial Gravity stuff. What were you up to anyway?"

Tony paused for a second, "Can you keep a secret?"

"You literally sound like a 13 year old girl."

"Shuddup. I'm being serious."

"Yeah whatever." Rhodey shrugged and rested his head in his palm, faking a girly tone, "Spill!"

Tony rolled his eyes, "Do you remember at the party how I mentioned that girl?"

Rhodey twisted his face for a moment, "Honestly Tony I don't even remember what I did with Courtney."

"You don't even remember the fight?" Tony said, obviously annoyed.

"Oh yeah, oh! Penelope?"

"Pepper."

"That's it!"

Tony moved in his seat, "Well, I went to talk to her…"

"And?"

"She pretty much hid her face."

Rhodey laughed, "Wow! A girl who's afraid of you? Well, that's certainly… out of character, well, for you."

"Exactly!"

"What did she say?"

Tony frowned, "Nothing."

"Is she hot?"

Tony slowly nodded, smiling to himself at how Pepper Potts was perfect.

"Well, why don't you just talk to her again?"

"I don't know what to say, she's so different from the others." Tony scrunched his face referring to the majority of the female population at the school. "I don't want to fuck it up."

Rhodey saw the sincerity in his friend's eyes, "Okay, you have to point her out to me if you're really serious."

"Sure, whatever."

"Don't whatever me, just go and talk to her again, maybe you caught her by surprise. Use some of that Stark charm!"

* * *

"Oh my god I legit think I'm going to vomit." Olivia whined as Pepper grabbed her books out of her locker.

"Well go see the school nurse." Pepper closed her locker and saw that Liv had her hands clutched to her stomach.

"Come with me?"

"Yeah okay."

The girls walked to the nurse's office quietly, various other students were bumping into them in a rush to get to lunch. Breaking the silence, Olivia asked, "Will you tell me what happened at the party now?"

Pepper gulped. She anticipated this moment.

"Justin Hoffman just, um… encountered me." Was encountered the right word?

Olivia gave Pepper a look.

"What?"

"He freaking molested you."

"Nuh-uh, it was… he was drunk…"

"Yeah whatever. And Tony Stark stood up for you."

Pepper remained silent.

"What did Tony even do? I know there was a fight involved, did he talk to you?" Olivia paused, "Did you do anything with him?"

"No! God no."

They reached the nurse's office and Pepper patiently waited outside. After 10 minutes of sitting, occasionally checking her phone, and twiddling her thumbs, the nurse came out of her office and ushered for Pepper to come and talk to her.

The big woman grimaced, "I'm afraid your friend has a stomach bug. I've rung her parents and she'll be leaving home early. I trust you'll tell all her teachers?"

"Of course Miss."

The nurse nodded and returned into her office.

"Great." Pepper uttered under her breath. She was now on her own.

Not knowing where to go, she headed outside and sat on a bench under the pink flowering trees. She brought out her copy of Macbeth and read with the whistling of the wind filling her ears. It was refreshing having time to herself and Pepper enjoyed the serenity.

Pepper carefully turned the pages of her play and surprisingly was fully engrossed in the ranting's of Macbeth. The cool breeze brought goose bumps to her skin but she didn't mind. It was pretty much deserted outside except for a couple of people hanging out at the parking lot.

Since she had the whole bench to herself, Pepper decided to bring her legs up onto the seat and cross them. Sighing peacefully, she continued to read.

But her serenity was interrupted when a shadow cast itself onto the pages of her book, and Pepper looked up to see what the disturbance was.

"Can I join you?" Tony Stark stood before her, a sandwich in his hand and a book in the other.

Pepper nodded and moved over to the far side of the bench, keeping her eyes on the book. Tony sat down, a little too close to Pepper for her comfort and took a massive bite of his sandwich while opening a mechanics workbook.

"Macbeth huh? Not really much of a love story."

Pepper glanced up to see Tony was peering over in her direction.

"Yeah. But it's fascinating." She mumbled as she turned the page.

"Yeah I guess the whole murder thing is quite refreshing."

Pepper fought back a smile.

Tony cleared his throat and his tone of voice quietened, "Are you okay?"

She looked up from her book and saw his deep brown eyes searching hers for answers.

"I'm fine."

"I mean after… Friday."

She bit her lip and closed Macbeth. His eyes remained anxious, wary of his question.

"I'm fine, thanks for helping me, I guess." She murmured.

"Did he hurt you?" He whispered.

"No."

The two of them remained silent for a very long time. Both stared off into the distance, unsure of what to say next.

"I don't really know much about you Pepper." Tony broke the silence and looked at her placid face.

"I…better go." She started, putting Macbeth under her arm and getting up from the bench.

"Wait." Tony hesitated.

Pepper turned to face him, she was aware her cheeks were red, but she wasn't really fazed, the whole situation had already been embarrassing enough.

"Do you want to hang out another time?"

Pepper paused. This was exactly what she didn't want to happen. Tony Stark was a rude, selfish, arrogant guy, and Pepper didn't want to become one of his many bimbos.

But her heart screamed for her to say yes, she couldn't ignore those big brown eyes….

"I'm sorry Tony." Pepper walked away, not turning around to see his disappointed face.

* * *

**Thoughts? Was Pepper too harsh? Do we feel bad for Tony? Was Liv a drama queen? XD**

**Review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi everyone! SO sorry for the delay, I was busy with school stuff ****and life!**

**Anyway, here is the next chapter, I'll hopefully update tomorrow if you guys want. Review!**

**Oh and btw, I'll try and respond to your questions now, sorry for the delay ahahaha! Oh and Chrissy (guest) Liv does have a virus!**

**OH AND TO THE AMERICAN I'm sorry about that! I live in Australia and it's usually about 10pm when I post them ahhahahaha! **

* * *

For the rest of the day, Pepper kept her head down in class and prayed for the moment when the bell would ring. She anxiously stared at the ticking clock, seconds away from dismissal.

"And class, that is why the Nazis…"

The bell interrupted the droning History teacher and the whole class stood at once and left the room. Pepper scooted out as quickly as she could, careful not to bump into anyone. She did not feel like starting a conversation.

After grabbing her bag from her locker, Pepper walked to the bustling car park filled with people trying to leave. Sighing, she dug for her keys in her bag as she reached her cream mini cooper. She had to pick up Tilly from soccer practice in half an hour and the soccer field was 20 minutes away. Pepper finally grasped the flower keychain and pulled it out of the bag.

"Did you really think I would take no for an answer?" His voice made her jump and she dropped her keys, unfortunately landing in the drain. The pink and yellow plastic flower was barely visible in the dark depths of the storm drain, probably a metre deep.

"Damnit!" Pepper gasped as she got to her knees, trying to reach her hand through the bars, totally ignoring the chuckling Tony Stark behind her. Turning around, she exhaled, "Why the hell would you sneak up on me?"

His smirk remained, "I didn't mean to _scare _you. My bad." He shrugged.

Disregarding his comment, Pepper continued to struggle getting her short arm to the bottom of the drain to reach her keys. "I don't have time for this." She frustratingly muttered.

"Wait? Are they really stuck down there?"

Pepper stood up, pushed her shoulders back and faced Tony in an effort to look intimidating. "Yes! They're stuck! And I have to be somewhere!" She spat.

Tony furrowed his brows, "Do you want me to help?"

"Yes! It's your fault! I can't reach."

Tony grinned at the huffing redhead and walked over to the gutter. He got down to his knees and tried to fit his hand through the gap, but failed. His hands weren't as slender as Pepper's and reaching in was not an option.

"Hmmm." He hummed.

"What?"

"I can probably unscrew these bolts."

"Oh yeah, let me just whip out my screwdriver." Pepper sarcastically muttered.

"I'll be right back." Tony jumped to his feet and ran to the other side of the parking lot, heading for his Audi.

Pepper remained standing next to her car, frustrated at how Tony had just ruined her afternoon.

Wait.

She had just yelled at Tony Stark.

The realisation made Pepper gasp quietly, that sudden outburst of confidence was so out of character for Pepper, and it surprised her.

"Back!" Tony panted as he stopped running. He had brought (to Pepper's surprise) a screwdriver with him.

Tony could see by her stunned expression what she wanted to say, "My family builds things, what can I say?" He grinned as he returned to the gutter.

In a matter of seconds, all four bolts had been unscrewed and Tony had lifted the plate off. Pepper remained quiet, discretely admiring his toned arms.

"Shall I do the honours?" Tony gestured to the dirty keys.

Pepper scowled and nodded.

He replied with a grin and jumped into drain, suddenly disappearing as he bent over to retrieve the much sought after keys.

"Thanks." Pepper mumbled as he handed them over to her. She took her eyes away from his and pressed the button to unlock her car. The familiar blink of the headlights confirming that the keys worked brought a small smile to her face and she quickly sat in the driver's seat.

"Hold up."

Pepper hadn't closed the door yet, but was unable to due to the fact that Tony was standing in the way, his arm resting on the open door.

"What? I've gotta go somewhere I'm late." Pepper groaned.

"You mean that I went to all that trouble to help you get your keys back and you won't even talk to me?"

Pepper rolled her eyes, "It's your fault they dropped down!"

"But I helped you, you at least owe me something."

"I owe you nothing. Thanks again Tony, bye." She stretched out to close the door, but Tony didn't move.

"Where do you have to go?" Tony inquired.

"I have to pick my sister up, now could you PLEASE move."

"Certainly." He moved to the side but quickly jumped over the hood of the car, making Pepper squeal. He then opened the passenger's side and sat down beside her, buckling up his seatbelt.

"What the... What..." Pepper stuttered.

"I wanna come."

"Get out of my car!"

"No, I want to come."

Pepper blinked a couple of times and shook her head quickly. She was already late.

Reluctantly, she started the engine of the Mini. Tony grinned.

"Don't even speak." Pepper gritted through her teeth as she clutched the steering wheel, speeding out of the parking lot.

* * *

She couldn't believe it; Tony Stark was sitting beside her, in her car, humming to her music. Pepper had no choice but to let him come for the ride, Matilda was going to kill her for being so late.

The car ride was quiet between the two, with Pepper's confidence dwindling at the second and her shyness kicking in.

"So…" Tony offered.

Pepper kept her eyes on the road; they were only about 2 minutes away from the soccer field.

"Oh I used to play soccer here!"

Pepper once again ignored him. She instantly spied Matilda, sitting on the curb hugging her knees; she was the only kid there. Pepper was really late.

The car pulled up in front of her, and Tilly's piercing eyes glared.

Pepper shot a warning glance at Tony. She barely knew the guy and Matilda seeing him in her car was not a good start.

The backseat's door flew open and Tilly hopped in, slamming the door. "What the hell Pep. I was the last kid there! Your such a crappy…" She trailed off when she noticed the presence of another person in the car.

Pepper held her breath as she waited for Tilly to notice that it was Tony Stark. But Pepper didn't have to hold it for long as Tony turned around to face the gawking 13 year old and smirked.

"Hi." He waved.

Tilly waved back, a smile creeping onto her face. "Are you Tony Stark?"

Tony nodded and held back a laugh from the surprised look on the girl's face. "And you are?"

"Tilly. Tilly Potts. Unfortunately, Pep's sister."

Pepper quickly turned and shot her sister a look, and returned her eyes to the road.

Tony laughed at Pepper's reaction, "I don't think that's unfortunate."

Pepper's face went red and she bit her tongue.

"How do you know Pepper if you don't mind me asking?" Tilly leaned closer to Tony.

"From school, and um, we kind of met at a party." Tony's voice wavered a little at the mention of the party, but he quickly gathered his charismatic tone and continued to chat with Matilda.

"I can't believe Pepper knows boys, she's like the biggest loser ever!" Matilda giggled and Tony frowned.

Pepper had so many curse words going through her head that she wanted to express to her little shit of a sister but she stayed quiet.

"Oh, and Tony, Pepper's actually mentioned you before in her diar…."

"That's enough Tilly!" Pepper yelled at her sister and pulled over at the school parking lot.

Tony's Audi was the only car left and Pepper bit her lip awkwardly. She didn't know how to get rid of him.

"Um, well, it's been…fun" She mumbled.

"Oh. Oh yeah, I better go. Um, nice meeting you Tilly." Tony nodded at both the girls and opened the door. He stopped and quickly grabbed Pepper's hand, "What's your number?"

Pepper just stared blankly at him.

"It's this!" Tilly grabbed Tony's phone out of his hand and typed in Pepper's number.

"Tilly!" Pepper gasped as Matilda returned the phone to a smiling Tony.

"I'll text you later…Pep." He closed the door and walked off, grinning at the new contact.

Pepper slowly turned around to Matilda, who was grinning like the Cheshire cat.

"How dare you…" Pepper reached to grab her sister.

"Uh uh uh! I'll tell Mum and Dad! I don't think they'd like to hear that you're hanging out with Tony Stark!"

Pepper dropped her hands and turned back to the steering wheel, blinking furiously to keep the tears out of her eyes.

"It'll be our little secret…for now." Tilly sneered.

* * *

**Aww awkward Pepperony! Soon their relationship will progress I promise! What did you guys think of Tilly hehehe I have a little sister who is exactly like her :/**

**Anyway! Review! **


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey everybody! I'd just like to give a massive THANK YOU to everyone who has followed and favourited and reviewed and supported this story! It's so exciting when you guys like it! I LOVE to hear your opinions so if you have an idea or want to chat, just pop me a PM! I'm always needing ideas and inspiration!**

**ANYWAY**  
**ENJOY THE CHAPTER!**

* * *

"HOME!" Tilly yelled as she burst through the entrance of the house, dumping her soccer bag and not taking off her shoes.

Pepper quietly followed, dropping her keys into the bowl and carefully closing the door. Her mind scattered and she leant against the wall. Was Tilly going to tell? What would her parents say?

Then she realised that there was the slight possibility that Tony would actually…text her. She gulped as she made her way to the kitchen, and she quickly switched her phone off.

Pepper walked in to see her mother in front of the stove, stirring something that smelt wonderful. She was talking to a babbling Matilda, who wouldn't shut up about the 4 goals she had scored.

"So I take it training was good?" Carol smiled, her back still to the two girls.

Pepper joined her sister and sat at the table. Matilda paused at her mother's question and raised an eyebrow at Pepper. Pepper quickly responded with a widening of her eyes and a subtle shake of her head.

"Well…" Tilly began.

Pepper quickly kicked her sister in the shin.

"OW!" She glared at her sister but turned her frown into a haunting smile.

"Pep was late mum. She had a friend with her in the car."

Carol turned around with a wooden spoon in her hand, "Olivia?"

Pepper quickly butted in, plastering the fakest smile she could manage on her face, "Yep! Sorry! Me and Liv were hanging out at the library and lost track of time!"

"Liv and I." Carol corrected.

"Yep, sorry, it won't happen again."

Carol smiled and returned back to her simmering pot.

Matilda's grin remained, and she mouthed, "Close one!" to her anxious sister.

"If you say anything, so help me…." Pepper growled but was interrupted by her mother.

"Dinner's ready girls, come help yourselves."

"I'm not hungry." Pepper muttered and left the kitchen with Matilda snickering.

Pepper was starving, but she couldn't be there with Tilly. The brat would definitely say something. Pepper figured if she weren't there her evil sister wouldn't mention it, probably due to the fact that she would be saving the reveal for a more embarrassing occasion.

She trudged up the stairs and opened the door to her bedroom, plopping herself down at her desk.

Pepper quickly grabbed her phone out of her pocket and held down the power button. After what seemed an eternity of the start-up logo on the screen, the phone buzzed 5 times.

**5 messages.**

Pepper took a deep breath and saw an unknown number with 4 messages. The other message was from Liv.

Following her gut, she chose to open the unknown number.

_**Unknown Number**_

**Hey Pep.**

**It's Tony by the way.**

**Or if you prefer btw if your (ur) into 'text slang'.**

**So…. **

Pepper bit her lip to hide the smile creeping across her face.

After careful consideration, she replied.

**Hey Tony. I don't really mind how you text.**

Within seconds of pressing send, a reply followed.

_**Unknown Number**_

**She lives! I thought your sister gave me the wrong number or something.**

At the mention of Tilly, Pepper quickly turned her back to check she wasn't sneakily reading over her shoulder or standing at her doorway. Fortunately, Pepper was just paranoid and Matilda was still eating her chicken curry.

**Nope. I'm the real deal.**

Pepper quickly added Tony's number as a contact, so her phone wouldn't refer to him as an unknown number.

_**Tony**_

**Great, then let me ask you this, official Pepper Potts: Was my presence this afternoon inconvenient?**

Pepper quickly replied,

**By inconvenient do you mean completely and utterly annoying and probably life ruining because now my scheming sister has used your presence in my car as blackmail? Well yes. Yes it was inconvenient.**

_**Tony**_

**Wow, you can be sassy through text Miss Potts. Oh and sorry, I didn't want to make you feel uncomfortable. **

She felt her cheeks get hot.

**Well that's comforting to know. Just casually scaring the crap out me by sneaking up and practically yelling in my ear wasn't exactly trying to be uncomfortable then?**

_**Tony**_

**I said sorry! I just wasn't really sure how to talk to you.**

Pepper frowned.

**Well maybe next time, don't be so… upfront. Night.**

Pepper stood up from her seat and made her way to the bathroom, taking her phone with her.

She applied the toothpaste to her brush and waited for Tony's reply. Sure enough, her phone buzzed.

_**Tony**_

**I'll try. Night Pep.**

She placed her phone down on the counter and placed both of her hands at the edge of the sink, staring at her reflection in the mirror.

"Stop it Pep. He's trouble." She muttered to herself.

But Pepper couldn't deny the feelings she had deep down for Tony. Even though she'd only talked to him a couple of times, he started to bring out another side of her that she'd never known.

After brushing her teeth, Pepper turned the lights off in her bathroom and went to bed.

As Pepper drifted asleep, it had failed to cross her mind that she had neglected Olivia's message.

* * *

Smiling, Tony put his phone down and headed downstairs for a quick snack before bed.

As he reached the bottom of the staircase, he heard yelling from his parent's bedroom. He tried to ignore the drunken yells of his father as he grabbed an orange from the fruit bowl.

He sighed as he made his way to the stairs. Tony could here his mother yelling, "Howard! Stop that… how could you say such things?"

Tony then heard muffled sobs, which broke his heart.

Howard Stark could be a hurtful man when he wanted to, and his drunken state could be potentially harmful both mentally and physically to Tony and Maria. Countless times the two would be terrified at his violent rage. Tony recalled several childhood memories of him cowering in a corner being yelled at by the man.

But Maria always kept quiet. Tony on the other hand had grown to stand up to his father, in order to protect himself and his mother.

When Tony heard glass shatter, he raced for the door and busted it open. He saw his mother on the floor, tears streaming down her face as Howard stood above her, with a broken bottle in his hand.

"STOP!" Tony yelled and Howard spun around, his bloodshot eyes glaring at his son standing in the doorway.

"YOU LEAVE HER ALONE." Tony continued, moving closer to the man.

"Oh shut up Anthony you piece of shit." His father replied dryly.

Maria let out a little sob, "Howard please."

His father growled and moved towards his son, dropping the bottle. But instead of a father-son embrace, Howard punched Tony in the face.

"I'm going out." He muttered, leaving Tony and Maria on the floor of the master bedroom.

* * *

**Review! Do you guys feel bad for Tony? I sure do! How about Tilly being her evil self? XD**


	7. Chapter 7

**Helllllllooooo! Sorry my chapters are getting shorter :/ I'll try and make the next chapter longer!**

**Review if you guys want speedy updates, it helps me write faster ;)**

* * *

"TGIF! TGIF!" Tilly burst through Pepper's door and jumped on her sleeping sister's bed.

"GET UPPPPP!" She jumped and took the covers off to expose Pepper curled up in a ball. Pepper blinked a couple of times and adjusted her vision to see Matilda's wicked grin.

"What, what time is it?" Pepper muttered, her voice hoarse.

"7am, you slept in. ANDDD it's Friday!"

"No shit."

Matilda tried to mock a face of disgust, but landed herself into a fit of giggles. She placed herself on the bed and gave Pepper a light hug. Despite the constant bickering and rivalry between the two, Pepper and Matilda did love each other.

"You're giving me a lift this morning, and if you don't get your butt out of bed and get ready, we'll both be late." Matilda frowned and nudged her sister who was reaching for the duvet on the ground.

"Just…5 more minutes." Pepper buried her face in the blanket.

"Pep c'mon!"

"Fine." Pepper sat up and playfully pushed her sister off her bed. "Get out unless you want to see me stark naked."

Matilda's ears perked up, "Stark?"

Pepper quickly realised what she said, "No. I mean…. Like…."

"Yeah yeah, whatever." Matilda grinned as she left and closed the door.

Pepper felt her face blush. Typical that Tony's name had to be related with nakedness.

* * *

"Are you and Tony… like friends? Or…." Matilda looked at her sister as they were nearing the Middle School.

"Honestly Tilly, I don't even know." Pepper stopped the car outside the entrance of Matilda's school.

"Has he texted you yet?"

"Hurry up, you're going to be late."

"You didn't answer my question."

Pepper cleared her throat. No way would she give Tilly that kind of information.

"Tilly, I'll tell you later, just go to school!"

Matilda pouted but noticed that the amount of kids outside the entrance had decreased, probably because the bell had rung.

"Fine!" Matilda opened the passenger's door and stepped out, "Just so you know, I can tell that he likes you!" With that, Matilda closed the door and hurriedly walked to the school, a small skip in her step.

Pepper raised her eyebrow and watched her sister disappear through the front doors. As she drove away, Pepper thought about what Matilda had said. She was right about something, Tony did have an interest in her; he wouldn't leave her alone.

But Pepper wasn't sure if she wanted Tony to like her, she'd convinced herself that he was trouble. Her mind wandered back to the party, when his eyes met hers, and the genuine concern he expressed when they talked after. She exhaled as she reached the school and parked her car away from the drain.

That scenario wasn't going to happen again.

* * *

As she walked to her lockers, Pepper spied someone she had completely forgotten about.

Olivia.

"Oh shit." Pepper muttered as she remembered the message she didn't read. For some reason Olivia was the last person Pepper wanted to talk to.

It was too late to turn around and Olivia instantly spotted Pepper and ushered her over. Pepper faked a smile and hurried to her friend's side.

"Hey. How are you?" Pepper asked as she opened her locker door to avoid eye contact.

"Better, I think I just ate something bad." Liv opened her locker and grabbed her books.

"That's good." Pepper smiled, unsure of what to say next. They weren't as close as usual.

Olivia frowned, "Did you get my text?"

"Yeah of course." Pepper lied.

"Why didn't you reply?" Liv closed her locker and stared at the nervous Pepper.

"Um…I forgot?"

"You forgot about me?"

"I was… busy."

"Doing what?" Olivia was getting more and more frustrated.

Pepper wasn't sure if telling Liv that she spent all of her afternoon with Tony Stark was a good idea.

"I was with someone." Pepper exhaled, she didn't know what to say next.

"Who?"

Pepper paused and tried to look busy by looking at her nails.

Olivia put her free hand on her hip, "Do you want to be friends Pepper?"

Pepper couldn't believe what she had just heard. "Excuse me?"

"Well these past couple of days you've like, changed."

"What?"

"It's like you don't like me anymore, ever since Tony Stark talked to you you've been acting like you're top shit or something."

"Are you actually serious?" Pepper closed her locker and glared at Olivia.

"Yeah, and I don't really like it. So…"

"I was with Tony okay, and no, I am not 'top shit'." Pepper inserted air quotes while mimicking Olivia's tone.

"I knew it! I knew you had something going on with him."

"There's nothing going on between us!"

Olivia snorted, "When you're hanging out with Tony, of course something is going down. I just never imagined YOU to be one of those girls."

"Oh shut it Liv!" Pepper huffed and walked away, leaving Olivia dumbfounded next to their lockers.

She walked to homeroom, but was 10 minutes early, so Pepper stood outside the classroom and read the text she missed from Olivia.

**Hello? I'm sick, feel bad for me!**

Yeah, Pepper wasn't going to miss Olivia as a friend at all.

* * *

Tony speeded to school, making sure he had his sunglasses to hide the growing bruise on his right eye. His father hadn't returned home yet, most likely because Howard had taken a plane to another country for 'work'. Tony gritted his teeth at the hatred for his father pulsing through him.

He barely made it to school on time, and was welcomed by his entourage surrounding his locker.

The only reason he had decided to come to school today was to see Pepper. Everyone else could buzz off.

"Tony! Where have you been?" Someone in the crowd squealed. "Nice sunglasses!" Another added.

He gave them all a grin and they automatically cleared so he would have access to his locker. Tony quickly grabbed his stuff and bid his farewells to his fans and walked off.

On his way to homeroom, he spied a familiar red head and beamed to himself as he made his way over to her. "Hey Pep." He smiled.

Pepper quickly turned around and jumped, making her feet stumble. Acting swiftly, Tony wrapped his arms around her waist to steady her. "Woah." He breathed.

Pepper's eyes went wide as she noticed that she was practically hanging in Tony's grip, gathering the attention of the whole school. She placed her feet flat on the ground and pushed Tony away, who had a small smirk on his face.

"Why do you always catch me by surprise Stark!" Pepper hissed as she hid her face. She turned around from the crowd and stared at her frazzled reflection in the window of the door, smothering her hair and shirt to get rid of the imperfections. She could hear the whispers of her fellow classmates and wished at that very moment that she would crawl into a hole and die.

Pepper felt his hot breath near her neck and heard him whisper, "Sorry, I didn't mean to make a scene."

She just shook her head.

Tony placed his hand on her shoulder and offered, "Do you want to go somewhere else?"

She bit her lip and nodded as the whole student body went crazy. She could hear various voices saying, "Who's he talking to?" and "What's her name?".

This is exactly what she tried to avoid, all of this attention was insane and Pepper didn't like to be in the spotlight. She quickly closed her locker and waited for Tony to make his move. He nodded at the crowd and held out his hand to Pepper; who stared at it. She scrunched up her face, "No way."

He chuckled and shrugged at the crowd. Pepper shook her head and walked behind Tony, who headed outside.

* * *

**What are your thoughts on Liv and Pepper's friendship now? Did you guys like Tilly? :)**

**Oh, and what do you think will happen next chapter? I'll give you a hint: PEPPERONY GOODNESS**

**YES IT IS COMING NEXT**

**REVIEW IF YOU WANT IT!**


	8. Chapter 8

**OMG EVERYONE I'M SO SORRY FOR DISAPPEARING THESE PAST COUPLE OF DAYS!**

**I'm back, I've crawled out of my little hole called school and finally pumped out another chapter for you guys :) ITS LONG YAY**

**Hopefully daily updates (or every 2nd day, c'mon, I'm only human) will return from now on!**

**Big thank you and hugs and kisses and eternal love to everyone who has followed, favourited and ****reviewed! **

**ALSO WE GOT TO 100 REVIEWS WOT WOT WOT shoutout to guest (who begged at my feet) for being the 100th reviewer!**

* * *

When the two were finally alone Pepper groaned, "Why would you do that to me?"

Tony saw the tears welling up in her eyes and instantly pulled himself closer to her, his hands on her shoulders. "What's the matter?"

"You just publically humiliated me." She choked.

"I didn't mean..." If he still didn't have the sunglasses on, Pepper could see his honest eyes, beckoning for her.

"Everyone was staring at me, whispering things, I know you're used to it but…"

"I didn't mean to embarrass you Pep, plus, I kind of saved your life." He flashed a small smile in hopes of getting her spirits up.

"Well maybe if you didn't sneak up on me we wouldn't have this problem." She snapped.

Tony noticed that the distance between them had rapidly decreased; their chests were almost touching.

Pepper's anger had quickly erased when she too realised that they were close. Dangerously close.

"So to fix this, I just need to not scare you?" Tony slowly offered and saw that Pepper was fighting back a smile.

"Yes." She crossed her arms in defiance.

"Well, the problem has seemed to eradicate itself now, hasn't it?" Tony smirked.

"You have to promise."

Tony faked a sigh, "Fine. I, Tony Stark, promise to never sneak up on Pepper Potts ever again." He paused, "As long as we both shall live."

Pepper rolled her eyes but nodded in agreement.

"Wait!" She suddenly remembered, "You have to take those stupid sunglasses off or it's not official."

Tony froze and Pepper frowned.

"I can't do that."

"Why?" Pepper stepped back and furrowed her brows.

"I just can't. Okay?"

"Typical." Pepper muttered and turned her back, she was pissed off that Tony was abruptly so secretive; she thought that she had made a break through.

"Pep." His voice brought her stride to a stop and she slowly turned.

"Why won't you take them off Tony? Is it a pride thing or what?" Pepper spat as she marched towards him, the closeness between them only centimetres apart.

He saw her eyes staring into his; they were filled with hurt and anger. He reluctantly bit his lip and sighed.

"I'm sorry." Tony took off the sunglasses to expose the dark bruise covering his eye. She just stared at him, tears threatening to return.

"I…I…How?" Without thinking, Pepper gently placed her thumb over the bruise and traced it around.

Tony, slightly shocked at her sudden expression of affection, placed his hand over hers that was on his face.

"Nothing, just a fight." He mumbled as he looked at her gentle face, the light sprinkling of freckles and her blue eyes focussed on his bruise. They scanned thoughtfully and accepted that Tony didn't want to talk about it.

After minutes of silence, Tony sighed, "We're going to be late to class."

Her gaze broke and she shook her head, "I'm so sorry…for yelling before…"

"It's fine, it actually kind of showed that you care for me…" He started with a sly grin, waiting for a slap on the arm.

Instead, a small smile emerged on Pepper's lips and she intertwined her hand with his.

"Shut up."

* * *

Olivia pursed her lips at the sight of her once-best-friend being taken away by Tony Stark. The crowd that gathered were now in gossip frenzy.

For once, Pepper Potts was more popular than Olivia Gates, even though no one knew Pepper's name. Olivia huffed and pushed her way to the front on the mob, determined to put an end to the rumours.

She cleared her throat and yelled, "I know who the girl is!"

Everyone turned and for a minute Olivia thought they misunderstood what she said. Suddenly the whole student body swarmed her with questions and she couldn't help the huge smile that plastered itself onto her face.

A particular voice stood out, loud and booming, "What's her name?"

Justin Hoffman surged to the front of the group and raised an eyebrow at Olivia.

Olivia gave Justin a smirk and addressed the crowd, "Her name is Pepper Potts."

Everyone broke into a hush of whispers and murmurs, but was silenced when Olivia raised a finger, suggesting she hadn't finished.

"She's a virgin, and most likely one of Stark's conquest's."

The crowd erupted into utter chaos, and Olivia turned on the balls of her feet, heading to homeroom on a high. A large hand clasped onto her shoulder and she whipped around to see a smirking Justin.

"Nice." He commented and looked her down, nodding to himself.

"I just gave the people what they wanted."

"Well you really made a show of it. What's your name again?"

"Liv. And… you are?" Olivia obviously knew his name, but she wanted Justin to think of her as unruffled.

"Justin. I take it you have a disliking to Pepper Potts and Tony Stark?"

Olivia shrugged, keeping a smirk on her face.

"Great, because I need to get Stark back, I don't know if you heard about what happened at his last party, but Pepper was all over me and out of nowhere Tony came and threw a fist in my face."

"I heard." She nodded. Apparently him and Pepper had very different recounts of the incident.

"Well...do you want to help me get him back?"

She bit her lip. Sure, Pepper was a bitch to her, but betraying her friend like that? On the other hand, Justin Hoffman was asking for her help, and if she accepted, she would no doubt be popular.

"Fine, quick give me your phone."

He fumbled through his pockets and handed Olivia the phone, and she quickly added her number to it. "Text me when you want to meet up."

"Okay, thanks Liv."

She smiled and walked down the hall, covering her mouth to suppress a giggle of excitement.

* * *

The pair walked through the doors to the school, still holding hands. Tony had quickly put his sunglasses on and ignored the crowd surging as they noticed his entrance.

Pepper let go of his hand when she heard the whispers return and shot him an uneasy look.

"It's fine." He reassured, taking her hand into his again.

"That girl was right." Pepper heard some girls in her maths class whisper.

"Excuse me?" She addressed them and they fell silent.

One of them giggled, "Nothing Pepper Potts, and Tony." The group of them giggled and continued to whisper.

Pepper gave Tony a look and he just responded with an 'I dunno' shrug of his shoulders.

She frowned and said bye to him, walking to homeroom and feeling like everyone was talking about her.

* * *

"So what did you do today?" Carol passed the salad bowl and nodded to Pepper, who was looking down into her lap, secretly texting Tony.

"Nothing much." She shrugged, pushing Tilly away who was peering over her shoulder.

Matilda remained quiet, occasionally looking at the texts and smirking when she read the name of the sender.

_**Tony**_

**So what's happening right now?**

**Pepper**

**Having dinner, and talking to you, the combination possibly deadly with Mum around.**

_**Tony**_

**Oooo, a rebel. I like you.**

Pepper smiled as she placed half of a baby tomato in her mouth and occasionally nodded when her parents asked her the usual questions.

"Pepper? Are you listening?" Her father asked, and she absentmindedly nodded.

"Are you on your phone?" Carol questioned, raising an eyebrow.

Unfortunately, Pepper nodded, not aware of the question. Matilda nudged her sister, "Pep!"

"What-What?"

Martin reached over the table and snatched the phone out of Pepper's grip.

"Dad!"

"No phones at the table, you know the rules." He pocketed the phone and resumed eating his steak.

"But Dad!"

"Do you want your phone back?"

She grumbled as she crossed her arms, and sunk back into her chair.

Martin smirked, "Who were you texting anyway?"

"A friend!"

"Which friend?"

"None of your business." A curt smile appeared on the corner of Pepper's mouth.

Carol stopped eating, "Who is it sweetie? Olivia?"

"Uh yeah."

Suddenly the phone buzzed in Martin's hands and Pepper lunged across the table to grab it.

But it was too late.

He had already read the message that popped up on the small screen and Tony's name.

"Tony Stark?" Martin raised an eyebrow.

"Ooooo Pep's texting boys." Tilly chimed and grinned at her furious sister.

"Dad can I please have my phone back?" Pepper pleaded and ignored her sister's snicker.

Martin looked to Carol, who shrugged her shoulders. He sighed, "Is there something you want to tell us?" He paused, "Do you have a…um… boyfriend Virginia?"

Pepper gazed with her mouth open at her uncomfortable parents, "Mum…Dad…oh god no…what the hell! No!"

He breathed a sigh of relief, "Phew, because I wasn't ready for that, and Tony Stark…"

"What about Tony Stark?"

Carol interrupted, "You're just friends aren't you?"

Matilda answered, "Oh I think they're more than friends…"

"We're just friends!" Pepper exclaimed.

"Good. Give her phone back Martin."

Martin slid the phone across the table, "Don't use it during dinner."

"Fine." Pepper mumbled and picked at her food.

* * *

**SO**

**What are Liv and Justin going to get up to? I'm sensing an evil pairing, maybe they should have a shipping name AHHAHHA any suggestions? ;)**

**Also, a couple of you were hoping for a pepperony kiss (I was too), all in good time my friends...all in good time.**

**Do you guys like seeing Pepper's family? I know A LOT of you like Tilly!**

**Review and hopefully I'll see you guys tomorrow!**


	9. NOT A CHAPTER BUT PLEASE READ!

**Sorry everyone for no chapter these past couple of days, my computer's been stuffing up. Anyway, I'm going on school camp this week so there won't be a chapter until Saturday most likely.**

**I'm so sorry! Hang it there, another party is coming! PEPPERONY KISS GET EXCITED WOOHOO!**

**Thanks to everyone who is reading this, your support's keeping me going :)**

**See you in a week! Love you guys xxx**


	10. Chapter 10

**I'M BAAAAACCCKKK! Wooooo camp was terrible, the whole time I couldn't stop thinking about writing for you guys :')**

**Here's the next chapter, continue to review and leave me feedback! I will try and reply to your reviews from now on! Missed you all xx**

* * *

A week later, Tony's bruise had pretty much disappeared and Howard returned. For once, he was sober and somewhat nicer than he was the previous week. Howard stayed in his workshop, occasionally coming up to talk to Maria and barely saying a few words to Tony.

Even though it didn't seem like a normal family situation, he was happy that Howard had calmed down.

Tony sighed as he heard his phone buzz, probably another person asking him if he was going to have a party tomorrow tonight. Usually every second Friday a party was held at the Stark mansion, but Tony wasn't in the mood.

The text was from Rhodey:

**Hey, is there a party happening? Also, EVERYONE is still talking about you and that Pepper girl, is there something going on?**

He stared at the text, and thoughts raced through his mind. The whole school had been spreading rumours about him and Pepper Potts. Of course he was used to it, but Tony felt bad for her. She was so different to all the other girls he had dated, she was shy and didn't like the attention.

Wait.

Did he just say dated?

Him and Pepper had sure spent a lot of time together for the past week, and they had gotten closer.

Tony scratched his head and replied,

**Yep, party's on. I don't know man, hopefully I'll find out.**

Tony sent out a mass text saying the party was happening, and sat back in his desk chair in his room.

He sent a text to Pepper:

**Hey I'm having a party tomorrow, you coming? **

Within seconds, she replied,

**Maybe.**

He furrowed his brows,

**Why maybe? You have to come!**

* * *

After the awkwardness of dinner, Pepper and Matilda resided to the TV while their parents cleaned up.

"What did he say?" Matilda asked, keeping her eyes on the reality cooking show revealing the huge twist of cooking blindfolded.

Pepper looked at her sister and rolled her eyes before pulling out her phone and continuing to text Tony.

"None of your business." She mumbled, keeping her eyes on the messages.

Tilly snorted but returned her attention to the TV.

Tony texted Pepper asking her to come to his party on Friday night and she quickly replied saying maybe. She bit her lip and waited for his reply.

**Why maybe? You have to come!**

Pepper responded,

**You've heard what everyone's been saying haven't you? Plus, I have no one to go with!**

Tony quickly replied,

**Ignore them! Don't worry, we'll hang out all night long if we can't find you any friends, but that's the last resort…**

She sent,

**Ha. Ha.**

Tony replied,

**But seriously, please come.**

After a minute, Pepper sighed and typed,

**Fine. But you better not abandon me.**

Pepper imagined the mini fist pump Tony would be executing at that moment and shook her head. God he was persuasive.

Her phone vibrated with another text from Tony,

**See you at school tomorrow, we'll discuss details then.**

Pepper locked her phone and resumed watching the TV show.

"Details for what?" Tilly questioned as her eyes glanced over to Pepper and crossed her arms.

"As I said, none of your business." Pepper sighed with a tinge of annoyance.

"Are you going to another party?" Matilda turned her head and lowered her voice.

"You were looking over my shoulder weren't you?"

Tilly grinned, "At Tony's house?"

Pepper rolled her eyes and faced her sister, the two now oblivious to the drama unfolding on the latest episode of Master chef.

"Do you have to know everything going on in my life?"

"That's what little sisters are for."

Pepper crossed her arms and smirked, "Don't read my texts Tilly-Willy."

"Ew! Don't call me that!"

"Well stay out of my life!"

Matilda scowled at her sister and turned back to the show, leaving Pepper seemingly triumphant. But to Pepper's dismay, Matilda lunged for her sister's phone and unlocked it.

"MATILDA!"

"You should really put a passcode on this thing." Matilda grinned and ran with the phone in her hand to the staircase.

Pepper was fuming as she closely ran after her scheming sister, taking two steps at a time on the staircase.

"GIVE IT BACK YOU BRAT." Pepper gasped.

Matilda turned to the upstairs bathroom that her and Pepper shared and quickly slammed the door, locking it in the process.

"TILLY STOP!"

Matilda opened the text message conversation with Tony and eagerly read.

"Just a minute Pep."

"WHAT THE HELL I'M TELLING MUM AND DAD!"

Pepper banged on the door in frustration. She was most likely going through all of her texts, especially those between her and Tony. She cringed and pounded the door again. She knew she couldn't tell her parents; they would too become suspicious of her and Tony's relationship.

Wait.

Did she just say relationship?

Sure, Tony and her had become closer, but they were definitely not in a full on relationship. "He's just a friend." Pepper muttered to herself.

Meanwhile, Matilda winced at the awkwardness of her sister around boys. The texts were lame. The only interesting thing was this party coming up, and some other fiasco about the whole school talking about them.

Wait.

Them?

_Were Pepper and Tony a couple? _Matilda thought as she bit her lip and kept reading the texts. She was interrupted by the quiet voice speaking through the door.

"Matilda. Please give it back." Pepper pleaded.

After seconds of silence, Matilda's conscience got the better of her.

Reluctantly, she unlocked the door and faced her sister who sat outside the door, her head in her hands, her shoulders apparently shaking from sobs.

Tilly immediately got down to her knees and placed the phone in her sister's lap. "I'm…I'm sorry Pep, I didn't know…"

Pepper quickly jumped up from the floor, a wicked grin plastered on her face. "SIKE!" She yelled as she ran to her bedroom, her phone securely in her pocket.

Matilda remained on the floor, gobsmacked at her sister's deception. She slowly got up and walked to Pepper's room.

"How the…" Matilda uttered.

Pepper was on her bed furiously checking her phone for any indecencies that Tilly may of caused and casually replied, "I just used one of your strategies. Oops, I guess I fooled you."

"Damn." Matilda sat beside her sister, "I thought I was the tricky one."

"Well I guess I've changed Tilly-Willy."

Matilda pursed her lips, "You should go to the party Pep." She changed the subject.

Pepper stared at her sister and shook her head; her personality had abruptly changed from cheerful to nervous. "I am." She sighed, "Did you read everything?"

"Yep."

"I am going, but you wouldn't understand…"

"What's everyone talking about?"

Pepper stared at her sister blankly and quietly turned her attention to her hands. "I don't know." She truthfully answered. "Things, awful things. About me and Tony."

"Are you and him… like… a thing?" Tilly slowly asked, trying to avoid being upfront.

"No…I don't know…I don't think…Yeah…Wait…No." Pepper decided.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Tilly scrunched up her face.

"It's complicated okay?"

"Tell me."

Pepper thought for a moment, literally 5 minutes ago Matilda had tried to cause harm and humiliate her. Opening up to her couldn't be a good idea. But she was her sister, and even though she could be a brat, she did care.

That night, Pepper told Tilly everything. The party incident, The car keys, the texting, the 'catch' in front of the whole student body, and that moment when her self control was thrown out the window and fell for him when he exposed his bruise. She added that she was uncertain to the reason behind the wound and Tilly cleared her throat.

"I heard his dad's abusive." She muttered.

Pepper looked down and fought back tears.

Obviously noticing her distress, Matilda added, "But it does seem like you guys do have SOMETHING going on. I think he likes you Pep."

"Well great. Thanks." Pepper sarcastically spat.

"Seriously, I thought you were like socially suicidal because all you did was hang out with that Liv chick, but after hearing all of this, you and Tony do sound like an item."

"Oh god, don't even get me started on Olivia."

"I take it you aren't friends anymore?" Tilly raised her eyebrow.

"Nope."

"Good."

* * *

**Do we likey Tilly and Pep's sisterly bond? Also, who's excited for ANOTHER party? I am!**

**Review and I'll see you soon! **


	11. Chapter 11

**OMG HI EVERYONE! I know I said I'd update every 2 days and I kind of broke that promise BUT IT'S NOT MY FAULT**

**MY COMPUTER BROKE SO THIS WHOLE WEEK I HAD TO GET IT FIXED AND I'M READY TO SHOOT APPLE**

**but it's all good now, and the long awaited chapter is finally here :) **

**Some of you might ****enjoy this chapter...maybe due to the pepperony kiss...AND IT'S THE LONGEST ONE YET (and most eventful)**

**ALSO: The reviews have kind of been lacking these past 3 chapters :'( Where have you guys gone? Please keep reviewing, it helps me write and I love to hear from you guys!**

* * *

"You texted me?" Olivia crossed her arms and smirked at Justin.

"Stark's having a party tonight." He too crossed his arms and pushed back his shoulders.

The two were outside near the car park, Olivia leaning against a brick wall and Justin standing in front of her.

"I heard. So, is it time to do something?"

Justin grinned, "I think so."

"Well what's the plan?"

"We need to make Tony majorly screw up his 'relationship' with Pepper Potts."

"What do you propose?" She sighed.

"That we work together." He wrapped his arms around her waist and she immediately rested her hands on his towering shoulders.

She nodded as he eagerly went in for a kiss, the pair spending several minutes in the alleyway of the car park, lips locked.

Olivia pulled away, a cunning grin on her face, "That was great, but… we need to come up with a plan."

* * *

"Pep!"

She turned at the sound of her name, instantly recognising the sound of his voice.

"Tony!" She smiled as he came towards her, but the two awkwardly stopped before each other, unsure of whether to hug in the hallway in front of everyone.

Tony moved first, and instead of bringing Pepper into a hug, he slung an arm over her shoulder and led her down the hallway.

"Okay, so come to mine at…9?" He asked as their steps coordinated in time.

"Sure." She smiled.

"This is going to be so much fun Pep."

"You better not leave me alone," Pepper lowered her voice; "I'm kind of not the most popular person at the moment."

"Ignore them, who cares what everyone says?" He gave her upper arm a reassuring squeeze.

"I just don't want to bump into anyone…" Pepper went quiet and Tony immediately knew what was worrying her.

"Don't worry. I'll protect you Pepper." His voice lowered.

They reached Pepper's homeroom and she sighed, "You know, it sucks that we don't have any classes together."

"I've been thinking the exact same thing." Tony muttered as he stared off into the distance, lost in thought.

"Tony? Tony! Snap out of it!" Pepper grinned as she snapped her fingers in front of his face.

"I'm going to do something about that whole class situation Pepper Potts, after all, I am Tony Stark, and I can change anything." He winked.

"Good luck with that."

"I'll see you tonight." Tony smiled and without hesitation, gave Pepper a quick kiss on the cheek, leaving her speechless.

He could see the blush come across her face and as he turned away, he couldn't help but chuckle.

* * *

"Whatcha doin?" Tilly sang as she caught Pepper laying several clothes across her bed.

"I need an outfit." She sighed and shook her head.

"This one." Tilly picked up a navy, long sleeved, mini bodycon dress with a scoop in the back.

"Really?"

Matilda nodded knowingly, "Tony will like it."

Pepper just rolled her eyes in response.

"Are you going to kiss him?" Tilly suddenly asked, her tone serious.

Pepper grinned at her sister's question. Obviously a kiss was a big deal to a 13 year old.

"Who knows? Anything could happen."

"Just make sure it's a kiss to remember Pep, oh, and do yourself a favour, don't be uptight."

"What?" Pepper frowned at Matilda and she just shrugged.

"Let loose a little, have fun, I dunno."

"I shouldn't be listening to advice from a 12 year old."

"THIRTEEN!"

"Yeah yeah, sorry. Anyway, it's not like you've kissed a guy…"

Pepper stopped her sentence when she saw a crimson blush come across Tilly's face.

"No. Way." Pepper said slowly.

"Just have fun okay." Tilly fought back a grin and left Pepper's room.

"My sister's had more action than me, great." Pepper muttered as she searched for her shoes.

* * *

**I'm nearly there! Get ready to meet me at the door.**

Pepper texted Tony as she sat in her car while waiting for the traffic light to change.

Instantly he replied,

**I'll be waiting…**

She smiled and within a minute, drove up the Stark mansion's driveway greeted by a wave of cars and the pumping of music.

As she stepped out her car, Pepper quickly scanned the doorway for Tony. She instantly saw him, and he saw her too, as he quickly walked towards her.

"Hey Pep!" He paused, "You look amazing."

She fought back a blush, "Thanks, you don't look too shabby yourself."

It was true. He looked handsome. Pepper had to hand it to him, Tony Stark really knew how to dress well and properly groom himself.

He offered her his hand, "Shall we go inside?" He mocked a fancy accent and she smirked, taking his hand.

As soon as they entered, Pepper got the same vibe as the last party. She tried to push the events out of her mind, but she couldn't help but shudder at the thought of Justin…

"Cold?" Tony asked, seeing her tense up and shake.

Pepper quickly shook her head remembering Tilly's advice, "Nah, how about we go and dance?"

Tony still looked concerned but eventually grinned, "Eager are we?"

"Dancing is one of my secret talents." Pepper lied with a curt smile.

"Really?"

Pepper turned on the balls of her feet and looked over her shoulder, "I guess you'll just have to find out."

Tony quickly followed her into the main room with the DJ and all the lights. A huge crowd had gathered in a mosh like formation and were furiously dancing to the electronic song playing.

Pepper turned to face Tony and nodded to the beat of the music, gesturing Tony to come join her. He happily obliged, and the two began to dance. Due to the size of the crowd, they were pushed together, chest to chest. Pepper was throwing her hands up and closing her eyes, a grin spread across her lips as she danced without a care in the world. It was the first time she had really let loose and enjoyed the music of a party.

Tony couldn't help but laugh when he saw her; she looked so happy. She opened her sparkling emerald eyes and beamed at Tony.

As the song finished, Pepper gave Tony a sly look, "I'll be right back. Stay here!"

"Okay?"

She grinned and pushed her way through the mosh and went to the bathroom. God she needed to pee.

* * *

Olivia and Justin watched from a distance, waiting for an opportunity to arise where Tony was left on his own.

Olivia bit her lip in excitement as she saw Pepper talk to him and walk away.

"Go!" Justin hissed at Olivia. She gave him a look but followed his instruction and headed towards Tony. He was nodding his head to the beat of the music, oblivious to the charging brunette pushing through crowd of people to get to him.

Justin eyed Pepper returning from the bathroom, and grinned at the action about to unfold.

Before Tony could register what Liv was doing, she grabbed his head and forced her lips onto his, causing a stir in the crowd.

Justin glanced to see if Pepper saw what he was seeing, and judging by the open mouth and hurt eyes, she had.

Tony quickly pushed Olivia off of him, "What the hell!"

She turned and saw Justin nodding, pointing over to the devastated Pepper and she smirked in return. Without another word, Olivia twirled on the spot, leaving a path of destruction behind her.

Tony instantly saw Pepper and ran towards her, ignoring the whispers. Pepper bit her trembling lip and shook her head while walking away from the dance floor.

"PEPPER!" Tony yelled over the top of the pounding music.

Her hand was suddenly yanked back and she turned to see a distressed Tony, panic in his eyes. "She came to me Pep, it wasn't…"

"I know what I saw! She retorted. The hurt panged at her chest.

"You don't! It was all her, please Pepper, you have to believe me." He pleaded.

"Why should I?" She yelled, the tears stinging her cheek.

Tony stared at her intently and altered his desperate tone to something much calmer, more serious, now was the time to tell her.

"Because I love you Pepper Potts."

A wave of emotion came over Pepper and she just stared at him. She searched his eyes for confirmation, if what he said was real, or just some drunken antic.

He stared at her in return, his brows furrowed at her lack of response. She pushed away her past feelings and without hesitation she let her lips meet his.

Her sudden force took Tony aback, but he quickly pulled her body in closer, the two of them fitting together like pieces of a puzzle. He rested his hands on her hips and felt her shudder in response. She lazily wrapped her arms around his neck, closing her eyes and savouring the light brushing of his lips. They mimicked each other's movements, slowly becoming more passionate. Pepper let a small moan escape her lips, and Tony pulled away with a sly grin.

"Can we…go somewhere else?" He offered and she nodded, also showing a sly smile.

He intertwined his hand with hers and she leant her head against his shoulder, silently walking away from the party, out of sight.

* * *

"What the…." Justin muttered as he saw Tony and Pepper lock lips.

Olivia stood beside him, her face as shocked as his.

"You fucked it up." He spat.

"Me?!" Olivia crossed her arms, "I followed the plan, and it's not my fault that they're persistent!"

"You didn't do it properly! What the hell are we going to do now?"

"There's nothing we can do, they went off! And no, I did my job PERFECTLY!"

Justin pushed her, "Just get out of my way."

Olivia gasped, "What…Justin! Stop, what the fuck!"

"We're not a thing Olivia, we never were."

He stormed off, leaving Olivia dumbfounded. She had betrayed her friend for him, the guy that just used her and threw her away.

A silent sob escaped Liv as she realised that she had fallen for a complete douchebag.

Meanwhile, Justin had tracked down Tony and Pepper. They had headed to the drinks table and an idea immediately came to Justin. There was a backup plan after all. He reached into his jeans pocket to pull out a plastic bag filled with a powdery, white substance.

He carefully opened it and took a pinch before quickly hiding the bag back in his pocket.

Cautiously, Justin walked to the table and saw that Pepper had put down her drink momentarily. Seeing his chance, he quickly sprinkled the substance in the liquid and watched it dissolve into nothing.

He swiftly left, finally feeling triumphant.

* * *

**YAY FOR A LONG EVENTFUL CHAPTER**

**What's going to happen to Pepper? (hint: it ain't gonna be good)**

**Did Liv deserve what finally came to her? And how much of a poop is Justin AHHAHA**

**OH AND PEPPERONY KISS**

**WAS IT GOOD?**

**also...Tilly's first kiss, do you guys want to see that? xD**

**Review and I'll see you all very soon!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey everybody! Intense chapter coming up :/ ENJOY**

**PLEASE KEEP REVIEWING! I need help about how I'm going to continue with this story.**

* * *

"Tony, wait…" She stopped in her tracks.

Tony furrowed his brows, "What's wrong?"

Pepper smiled sheepishly, "I need a drink."

Tony smirked but nodded, and led them to the kitchen. He wrapped his arm around Pepper's waist and recognised a familiar face.

"Rhodey!" Tony shouted and his best friend turned around and grinned when he saw his best friend…. with Pepper.

"Hey!" Rhodey greeted Tony and turned his gaze on Pepper, "Finally!" He joked and she smiled.

"Hi…I don't think we've properly met." Pepper grinned at Rhodey as she allowed Tony to pour her a drink.

"I'm James Rhodes, but call me Rhodey."

"I don't suppose you know my name?" Pepper questioned jokingly as she took a sip out of the cup and felt the warm liquid slide down her throat.

"Oh, Tony's mentioned you many times Pepper."

Tony gave Rhodey a playful shove and Pepper giggled as she placed her drink down on the bench.

The three of them talked for a while, with Rhodey and Pepper making small talk and Tony cracking jokes. Pepper picked up her drink several times and eventually downed the whole cup. After finishing her 2nd cup of what seemed vodka mixed with a juice of some kind, Pepper nudged Tony, suggesting that they should leave.

"Have fun you guys." Rhodey winked as he got the message and left to go talk to a group of girls.

"Wanna go?" Pepper asked, raising her eyebrow at Tony.

"I know a place." Tony nodded.

After pushing through hoards of people, Tony guided Pepper up the stairs and spoke to JARVIS.

"Is the rooftop balcony occupied J?"

Pepper stared at Tony is confusion and jumped when she heard a British voice.

"No Sir, the rooftop is under restriction, like you requested."

"What was…"Pepper started but Tony ignored her and replied to the AI.

"Perfect, prepare the elevator."

"Of course." Jarvis chimed.

"Tony what was that?" Pepper looked around her frantically, searching for the mysterious voice.

Tony responded with a laugh, "That's Jarvis, Just a rather very intelligent system. He kind of runs the house. I programmed him when I was 12."

"What? Like a robot?"

"Yeah, kind of, he's an artificially intelligent computer."

"Oh." Pepper replied. A small smile tugged at her lips, "Can I talk to him?"

Tony smirked, "Jarvis, meet Miss Potts."

"Greetings Miss Potts, what can I do for you?"

Pepper, slightly taken aback, responded, "Um…nothing, how are you?"

"I am well, Miss Potts."

"Hmmm. Why a British accent?" Pepper asked Tony.

Jarvis quickly interrupted, "I believe it adds a touch of class."

"He can be quite sarcastic." Tony replied dryly.

"It's a pleasure working for you sir."

Pepper laughed as they headed towards the elevator.

The elevator ride was short and as the doors opened, the cool ocean breeze whistled through Pepper's ears. The party lights from the house reflected off the water and the sky was pitch black, with sprinklings of shimmering stars creating constellations and sparking wonder.

"Wow." She exhaled.

"I never really appreciated this place… until now." He sighed as he leant on the glass panel edge of the balcony.

Pepper nodded and joined him, the two looking out into the dark, empty ocean.

She could start to feel the effects of the alcohol in her system, a killer headache pulsing at her temple. This usually didn't happen so quickly, Pepper thought back. She only had 2 drinks.

She scrunched her face and felt her mind waver. The once clear reflection of the water began to blur.

"Tony." She gasped as her hand slipped from the railing of the glass. She collapsed to her knees, narrowly missing scraping her face on the concrete ground.

"Pep!" His voice rang in her ears and she felt his hands on her shoulders. "What's wrong?"

Pepper tried to speak but her words came out slurred, "I…. don't…feel good." She spluttered as her head drooped the side. His strong hands slid under her arms in an effort to pick her up, but her body was limp.

"Jarvis, what's wrong?" He frantically yelled as Pepper slumped in his arms. She was slowly drifting in and out of consciousness and the sea breeze tangled her light orange hair onto her face.

Pepper mumbled incoherently and her eyes rolled into the back of her head.

"According to her vitals, Miss Potts has traces of Rohypnol in her system."

"Roofies? What the fuck?" Tony shouted. "Pep! Pepper don't leave me, stay awake." He instructed her but she remained unresponsive.

"Is it a lethal dose?" He panted as he placed her against the railing. With no trouble he lifted her into a bridal style position and hurried to the elevator.

"It doesn't appear to be, but it is necessary to monitor her at all time, the full effects of the drug haven't seemed to have kicked in."

"Oh shit." Tony muttered as the elevator travelled down. He took her to his room and placed her gently down on the bed.

"J call an ambulance now." He checked her pulse. She was still breathing and her pulse was normal, but anything could happen.

"Right away, a medical team will arrive in approximately 4 minutes."

"Cancel the party, get everyone out!" Tony sputtered as he placed Pepper on her side so she wouldn't choke if she vomited.

"Sir, I'm afraid that it is near impossible to evacuate 341 people in the span of 3 minutes and 10 seconds."

Tony groaned in frustration as he looked outside his window, people were everywhere. No way would the medics be able to find their way up here quickly.

But he couldn't go downstairs and take her unconscious body through the crowds, Pepper would freak out if she became the talk of the school by being carried around comatose at a Stark party.

He scratched his head and looked at the peaceful Pepper. Her eyes were closed and her freckled face remained calm. Her hair was dishevelled and the slow rise and fall of her chest reassured Tony that she was okay, for now.

"Do you have any footage of Pepper being drugged Jarvis?"

"Scanning now."

Tony could hear the blare of ambulance sirens and sighed with relief. "Jarvis, tell the medics when they enter to come up the stairs, I'll be waiting there."

"Of course, I have also found a video of Miss Potts' beverage being tainted."

"Play it."

A hologram came before Tony and he watched intently as the events of tonight unfolded. The footage showed him, Rhodey and Pepper all laughing in a huddle next to the drinks table. A figure came behind Pepper, and Tony instantly recognised his face.

"Fuck." He muttered as he saw Justin pinch a powder in a cup on the table. Sure enough, Pepper took a drink from it. Tony found himself muttering, "No." every time she took a sip. She finished the drink and continued talking to Rhodey.

"Jarvis save the clip. I'll need it later." Tony gritted between his teeth. Why did Justin have to harass Pepper?

"The medics are walking up the stairs now Sir."

"Great." Tony ran out to the stairs to see two men looking around confused.

"Who told us to go up here?" One of them asked Tony.

"Jarvis, no time to explain. Look my friend's been drugged, follow me."

The two men followed and Tony ushered them to Pepper, still unconscious on the bed.

"Do you know what she was given?" The other man asked as he checked her pulse.

"Rohypnol."

"How much?"

"Um, I'm not sure, someone put about a teaspoon in her drink, and she drank it all. There's a video."

"Well she looks okay, she's breathing normally, and nothing seems to have reacted. We'll just test her blood."

Tony sat impatiently and noticed that people were beginning to leave. He checked the time, 1am.

Eventually the paramedics nodded and addressed Tony, "She was only given a small dose and it just seems to have knocked her out. We're still going to take her to the hospital, you're welcome to come along."

"Are you sure?"

"I think it's the best thing Mr Stark."

Tony nodded and the two men lifted Pepper onto a stretcher, and took her downstairs. The party had diminished, only a few (very drunk) people remained.

"I'm so sorry Pep." Tony whispered as he jumped into the ambulance, wiping a strand of hair off her face.

The man tapped Tony on the shoulder, "So what did you say about this video? Whoever did this will be facing various charges."

* * *

**OMGOMGOMG**

**SOOOOOOOOOOOO what's going to happen to Justin? And what will happen when Pepper's family finds out that she's in hospital? (hint next chapter)**

**REVIEW IF YOU WANT ME TO CONTINUE! IT HELPS ME UPDATE ;)**


	13. Chapter 13

**SORRY FOR THE DELAY**

**i could make excuses...but once again, it was school :( BUT I ONLY HAVE 4 MORE DAYS UNTIL HOLIDAYS YEWWWW!**

**Heres the chapter, get ready for some CONFRONTATION!**

**Review everyone, when I was stuck for inspiration, it really helped when I saw I got an email saying there was a new review. Knowing that you guys are reading is awesome and I don't want to disappoint you :)**

* * *

Tony had prepared himself for this moment. Not really.

He had been at the hospital for 20 minutes, and was mentally preparing himself for the arrival of her parents. Pepper was asleep in the bed, and according to the doctors, was going to remain that way until the morning.

"Oh my god my Virginia!" A tall red headed woman burst into the hospital room, her face tear stricken. A man followed, his hair a light brown and face serious. The only thing that brought a slight smile to Tony's lips was the blonde girl who followed her parents, a familiar face.

Tilly's eyes fell to the ground when she saw her sister, but she noticed another presence in the room and slowly looked behind her. Tony was sitting on a chair in the far corner, his hands together and his eyes worn. He still had that goofy smile she remembered from the car ride; it was just a little tired.

"Hi." She slowly said and immediately both the adults turned to see whom she was talking to.

"Hey Till." He nodded to what looked like Pepper's parents, "Hi, I'm Tony."

The man cleared his throat and looked at his wife, who was just as shocked as he was.

"I'm Carol." She nodded finally but the man next to her wasn't as welcoming. Carol looked at her husband and sighed, "That's Martin, and he's just a bit angry."

"Nice to meet you both." Tony stood and held out his hand to Martin but the man didn't respond. Carol gave Martin a shove and he reluctantly shook Tony's hand, his grip a little too vigorous.

Carol cleared her throat, "Are you and Virginia…close?"

Tony replied uncomfortably, "Um, yes."

Tilly bowed her head to hide her growing grin.

"I'm sorry we had to meet under these circumstances." Carol grimaced, looking over to the peaceful Pepper.

Tony and The Potts' stood awkwardly in Pepper's hospital room, Martin occasionally giving Tony death stares.

"What happened to her?" Tilly broke the silence with the question that was on everyone's mind.

"She was drugged." Tony sighed.

Martin shook his head, "Listen here Mr Stark, I want to know every detail of what happened at this party."

"She was drugged with Rohypnol, a kid at our school slipped it in her drink."

Carol bit her lip.

"Drink?" Martin raised his voice.

Tony looked at Tilly for confirmation of what to say next, but she shook her head violently.

"Um…" Tony uttered, trying to think of an excuse on the spot.

"I didn't know my baby went to these kind of parties." Carol muttered, her tone full of betrayal.

"Then what happened?" Tilly butted in.

"She…collapsed."

"And you just left her?" Martin widened his eyes, expecting to hear an answer fully supporting his impression of Tony Stark. He knew the Stark family were trouble, Howard was a raging alcoholic mess, Maria was emotionally unstable, and their son was a complete rebel, always taking advantage of other girls and getting drunk. As soon as he saw Tony in the hospital, Martin instantly knew his daughter was associated with trouble.

"No! What the hell, I carried her, and then called the ambulance." Tony crossed his arms, shocked at Martin's disbelief.

Martin stared long and hard at Tony, scrutinizing his every feature. But Tony's face remained genuine, and his brows furrowed at Martin's unnecessary hostility.

Martin grunted in frustration and sat down.

"Thank you for helping her." Carol whispered.

Tony saw that her eyes were red, and just nodded.

"Did she hurt herself?" Carol continued, her voice still low.

"No, I…uh, caught her."

"Oh." Carol replied.

The silenced continued, with Martin occasionally staring at Tony and Carol by Pepper's side. Tilly observed the tension between her father and Tony and eagerly awaited some sort of confrontation.

"It might be best if you left, we're here now." Carol quietly spoke, glancing over at Tony with her glassy eyes.

Tony looked to Pepper, who appeared to be stirring in her sleep. With a sigh he shook his head, "No."

"Pardon?" Martin interrupted Carol who opened her mouth to reply.

"Look, I care about Pepper, I'm not leaving her."

Matilda muttered, "Mum… Dad…"

"Matilda, that's enough." Martin gritted between his teeth.

"Dad! Tony really likes Pepper, they're really close friends okay!" Tilly interrupted; immediately regretting what she said as she saw her father's eyes turn stone cold in her direction.

Tony gave Tilly a small smile and returned his attention to the parents, "I care about your daughter Mr and Mrs Potts."

"Well…" Carol looked uneasy and turned to her husband, who was about to explode.

"I'm here for her, and I'm not leaving."

"How can we know that you're not just using her?" Martin spat.

"What?" Tony stared at Martin.

"Oh, I know what you get up to boy, and you're nothing but trouble."

"I'm sorry…what?"

"That's what you Starks are all about, sex, girls and money. My Virginia isn't one of your conquests!" Martin stood from his seat and approached Tony.

Tony stood too, ignoring Tilly's whisper, "Tony, don't."

"Don't you bad mouth my family."

"Stay away from my daughter."

"I can't do that." Tony looked to Pepper and Martin clenched his teeth.

"Stop." Carol's shaky voice rang in Tony's ears as the two men stood almost chest-to-chest, they were the same height and both of their eyes resembled daggers.

Tony took a deep breath, still looking Martin in the eye, "I love her. You need to accept that I'm not who you think I am."

Tilly let out a shrill squeal and Carol held a hand to her mouth.

Martin's eyes softened a little but quickly hardened, "I still don't like you."

* * *

Her vision was clouded and she furiously blinked to bid away the murkiness.

"Hey."

His voice rang in her ears and she immediately stiffened.

"Tony?" She croaked.

His hand squeezed hers and she couldn't help the smile that came across her face.

"You're okay." He assured, his gentle smile and warm eyes gazed into hers.

She bit her lip to suppress the grin but quickly turned solemn at the sight of the hospital.

"What…Where?" She muttered as she quickly sat up, confused by her surroundings.

A pained expression came onto Tony's face, "You were drugged."

Pepper brought her hand to her head and frowned, "I don't remember."

Tony sighed, "Yeah, that's kind of expected."

"Who…How…Where?" Pepper asked, undecided on which she should ask first.

"Justin, Roofies in your drink and my party." His face was gentle, trying to make her feel that it wasn't a big deal so she wouldn't freak out.

"Oh my god." Pepper exhaled, "I don't remember anything."

"Your family's here."

"What." Her face instantly turned panicked, "They are going to kill me." Pepper kicked the blanket that was covering her away from her legs. She tried to swing herself off the bed, but Tony shook his head and blocked her path.

He had to force away the smile returning to his lips, "No, it's fine… I kind of met them."

"Fuck."

Tony chuckled, "Nah, it's okay, well except for your dad."

"What did they say?" Her face was furrowed with worry.

"Nothing bad, they're out getting breakfast at the cafeteria if you want me to get them…"

"No." Pepper quickly replied.

He grinned, "Okay."

Pepper wasn't amused, "Damnit!" She shouted, returning to her bed, "I can't believe this happened…what is everyone going to say Tony?" Her eyes glistened and he could see the tears forming.

"Don't worry…" He started but was interrupted.

"No! This isn't okay, what's happening to Justin and UH, I just want to remember!" She looked like she was a four year old throwing a tantrum.

"What can you last recall?" Tony gently asked, not wanting to trigger anything drastic, he was already walking on eggshells.

Pepper shook her head, "School, I don't know!" She let out a frustrated groan and hugged her knees.

Her face crinkled and a silent tear trickled down her cheek.

"No, no Pep, it's fine!" Tony wrapped his arm around her shoulder and she leant into his chest. He was still wearing his shirt from the party, and he felt her warm tears soak into the fabric. Tony silently placed his hand on her back and started to make small circles, but he felt his face falter when the sudden realisation kicked in.

She wouldn't remember the kiss.

* * *

**"Sniff"**

**NOOOOOOOOOOOOO **

**so she doesn't remember the Pepperony goodness they shared :'(**

**Thoughts on Martin? Was he too harsh? ANd what's gonna happen to Justin? How nice was Tilly!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hello Friends :) Long time no see! I apologise for my ****absence, I'm currently on school holidays and went away for a week. But I'm back YAY!**

**Here's your long awaited chappy! Please review with your thoughts and give me some ideas for the story!**_  
_

* * *

_1 Week Later_

Pepper sat absentmindedly at the breakfast table, picking at the eggs sitting on her plate. Her family remained quiet, closely examining her behaviour.

"Just eat it honey." Carol sighed.

"Not hungry." Pepper murmured.

She had been sulking for a week, and as soon as she was admitted to leave the hospital, Carol and Martin immediately made sure that Pepper was grounded. Despite his concern for her, the thought of her spending time with Tony Stark had been completely brushed away, and thus, a ban was placed.

Her parents sat down and talked to her, saying that spending time with him wouldn't be for the best. Pepper couldn't understand their irrationality; Tony had done nothing wrong; he was the one who helped her. Nonetheless, Carol and Martin didn't want Pepper talking to him anymore.

Pepper thought he would just text her, maybe sneak through her bedroom window like in the movies, however, she hadn't heard a single word from him.

She wasn't sure why there was a silence between them, Pepper couldn't remember anything, but her mind raced at the thought of her and Tony doing something at the party.

"I gotta go." Pepper stood from her chair and slung her bag over her shoulder, and headed for the door.

Martin's hand gripped her shoulder, "Be careful."

Pepper grunted and continued walking, silently cursing her father for being so uptight.

She stared at her phone, no new messages. Tony hadn't even texted her once.

* * *

The school had been in gossip frenzy after the events of the latest Stark party, and Pepper was undeniably the centre of the buzz. Justin was unsurprisingly absent on Monday, and Pepper had a hunch that she would soon be called to the principal's office. Being drugged at a party was kind of a big deal apparently.

She hadn't seen Tony yet, and was silently thanking the heavens that he wasn't waiting out the front. Although he had good intentions, Tony didn't leave her side at the hospital, and eventually she had to ask him to leave. Pepper was unsure as to why he was so protective of her; he still hadn't revealed any other information that occurred at the party, only the hazy details of the drugging.

This was the reason why she was so confused of him not making any contact in the last week.

Sure, she had feelings for him, but they weren't an item or anything. All she could remember was that him and her were close, occasionally texting and talking with each other. She vaguely remembered dancing with him, but couldn't remember anything else. The idea of him and her together kept running through her mind, but she couldn't see a clear memory of anything of that sorts.

"Hey!"

Pepper cringed when she heard her voice, and alarm bells rang in her head. She turned to see the last person on earth that she wanted to talk to.

Olivia kept a small smile on her lips but frowned at Pepper's dismal reaction.

"What do you want?" Pepper groaned.

"I just wanted to say hi." Olivia bit her lip, "And see how you were going."

"Well Hi, and I'm fine thank you very much." Pepper gritted between her teeth. She was trying to end the conversation, but Olivia stood her ground, determined to talk to her former best friend.

Olivia nodded and the two awkwardly stared at each other before Pepper cleared her throat, "Is that all?"

"No, I…uh, have a confession to make."

Olivia's eyes darted nervously and Pepper immediately took interest, she hadn't seen Liv so jumpy before.

"What?" Pepper folded her arms and tried to read Olivia's body language.

Liv sighed, "I'm sorry for being a bitch."

Pepper was slightly taken aback at Olivia's honesty, and she didn't know how to reply, "Um, it's okay."

"No it's not." Olivia lowered her head.

"Huh?"

Olivia shook her head, "I'm so sorry Pep."

Pepper was even more confused, "What for?"

"It's my fault you were drugged."

Pepper glared at Olivia and let out a frustrated breath, "Of course!" She muttered.

"Justin…it was him…but, we planned..." Olivia stuttered.

"You planned?" Pepper raised her voice, betrayed by Olivia's actions.

"He said he loved me okay?" Olivia spat out, the pain of the words making her heart crumble.

Pepper couldn't believe what she was hearing, even though she knew that Liv hated her, Pepper didn't think that she would conspire against her and join forces with Justin. Olivia had sunk to a whole new low.

Pepper saw Liv's eyes well with tears, "How could you do something like that to a person?" She kept her voice steady; making sure that the words would sting.

"I'm sorry." Olivia choked, the tears were threatening to spill, "I didn't know he would take it that far!"

"Well I guess he's happy with himself now isn't he?"

"Justin's in juvenile detention Pepper!"

Pepper saw that Olivia's face was scrunched with worry, and automatically saw why Liv was truly worried.

"You're going to join him aren't you? If they find out?" Pepper muttered.

Olivia's eyes turned dark, "No! You can't do that. He was the one who did it, not me!"

"But you were part of the whole planning process!" Pepper spluttered.

Liv placed her hands on both of Pepper's shoulders, their eyes locked.

"You can't tell anyone. Please Pep." Olivia begged.

"Get off me." Pepper shrugged away Olivia's grip and their gaze broke.

"But…" Liv started, her voice twanged with desperation.

"I won't say anything. Because unlike you, I'm a good person." Pepper stared long and hard at the girl that was once her best friend, and turned around to walk away.

* * *

After an awkward homeroom, where Pepper made sure she was on the opposite side of the classroom to Liv, Pepper made her way to Chemistry class.

What surprised her was the crowd of people outside the door, surrounding one very distinct figure.

Tony Stark stood with various other members of the class, grinning and nodding. Pepper bit her lip, she wasn't sure of what to say.

In the middle of laughing, Tony saw the red head standing outside of the group, staring at him in confusion. A small smile came across his face and he quickly abandoned his newfound friends.

"Long time no see." He grinned.

"What are you doing in this class?" Pepper tried to keep her eyes away from his, still feeling awkward about the events in the hospital.

"I told you I was Tony Stark, and I could change classes."

Pepper nodded as the vague memory came to her and she smiled.

"Are you any good at Chemistry?" Pepper kept a curt smile on her lips.

"Oh, I don't like to brag, but I'm out of your element."

"That was lame."

"I know."

Pepper giggled and as the classroom doors opened, her and Tony sat next to each other, continuing to make bad chemistry puns.

"You can't deny it, there is definitely chemistry between us." Tony raised his eyebrow.

"Yep." Pepper pointed at the chemistry textbook and winked.

He had to forcibly hide the disappointment on his face and fake a grin. He didn't intend his somewhat honest confession to be another shitty pun. For the whole week, Tony wasn't sure how to go about talking to her. Pepper Potts was the first girl to have Tony shaking at his knees.

Her parents gave Tony a warning before he finally left the hospital, saying that he should keep clear of her for a while.

Tony wasn't sure how to feel, he desperately wanted to see her, make her remember their kiss. But he decided it was for the best if he waited until she returned to school.

"Okay class, this term, we will be doing a chemistry assignment. This task requires for you to be in pairs."

Tony looked at Pepper and she rolled her eyes but nodded.

"Partner?" He held out his hand to her.

"Partner." She shook his hand playfully and Tony grinned at her how her freckled cheeks curved when she smiled.

This was his chance, to make Pepper Potts fall in love with him again.

* * *

The class ended and Pepper was kind of disappointed. She and Tony really had fun, a nice change to the usual dreary chemistry class.

They walked together down the hallway, catching various people's attention, rumours had gone around that they were now dating, and Pepper couldn't help but stifle a giggle at the thought.

"Why didn't you talk to me for the past week?" Pepper murmured.

"Your parents didn't want me to." Tony said plainly.

Pepper had to pinch herself, "You listened to my parents?" She grinned.

"Why are you so surprised?" Tony mused.

"I'm not!" Pepper lied. Before she even knew him, Pepper always thought (and heard countless times) that Tony was a bad boy type, not obeying parent's wishes.

The Tony she was seeing was something completely opposite to the impression he gave weeks ago. She liked it.

"Come have lunch with me?" Tony offered, an adorable smile escaping his lips that Pepper couldn't ignore.

"Sure, but you're going to have to introduce me to your friends."

"You already met Rhodey, and then there's various other guys."

Pepper frowned, "Rhodey?"

The sudden realisation sent a pang of guilt in Tony's stomach, another detail she wouldn't remember from the party.

"You met him at the party."

"Oh." She sighed.

Tony smiled to try and lift her spirits, "But he wouldn't mind meeting you again."

"Okay." She nodded.

* * *

**I just love Pepper and Tony gah. How about Liv's "attempt" at an apology? And yay, now they're in the same class :) Prepare for some cute ****pepperony bonding moments leading onto *hopefully* A RELATIONSHIP**

**gimme some ideas people for what you want to see :) **

**FINALLY, I was desperate for an iron man 3 poster, so for the past 2 weeks I have been ringing up cinemas and video stores to no avail, BUT! I found one video store that had ONE poster left...SO I GOT IT YAYAYYAAYYAYAYYAYAAAYAYAYAYAYYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAY I now have rdj hanging on my wall and I can't stop looking at him :D**

**Review!**


	15. Chapter 15

**hello everybody! long time no see :(**

**I'm back at school tomorrow (NOOOOOOOOOOO)**

**Here's the next chapter, keep reviewing and please PM me with any idea you guys have for this story! **

* * *

Pepper and Tony headed to Tony's usual table, the pair greeted by a variety of strangers that Pepper swore she had heard bitch behind her back. She did recognise one familiar, friendly face, but she couldn't put her finger on it. Tony immediately grinned when he saw his best friend, and nudged Pepper, "C'mon, that's Rhodey."

Pepper reluctantly followed, and sat next to Tony who was already engrossed in a conversation with Rhodey. She felt the eyes of everyone at the table on her, and their judgemental stares made her squirm in her seat as the familiar flutter of butterflies filled the pit of her stomach.

"Hey Pep." She sighed with relief, as she gazed up, she immediately remembered him. Rhodey's gentle eyes were warm, just like Tony's melting brown counterparts. She couldn't forget his friendly presence and smiled in reply, "Hey James."

"You remember?" Tony's eyes widened, an adorable grin tugging at his lips.

"Kinda." Pepper shrugged, "Anyway, um, nice to see you again Rhodey."

Rhodey grinned, "Nice seeing you too Pepper, I'm glad I wasn't forgotten."

"Do you remember anything else?" Tony quickly interrupted.

"Uh…" Pepper studied his expression and wasn't sure how to reply. What did he want her to remember?

"Not so fast." Rhodey elbowed Tony.

"Sorry, I just…" Tony murmured.

"Don't worry." Pepper sighed, "And no, I don't remember anything for now."

Tony nodded while Rhodey cleared his throat, "Do you remember anything from our conversation at the party at all?"

Pepper shook her head, "No, why?"

Rhodey grinned, "Well, I explained to you that Tony really had a thing for you and…"

The tables were turned when Tony interrupted his friend by elbowing his ribs, notably more forceful than the one he had received only seconds before.

A coy smile escaped Pepper's lips, "Let him continue!"

"No, let's not, it was already cringe worthy the first time." Tony chuckled.

Rhodey shrugged, "I'll tell you later Pepper."

Tony just sighed and shook his head in reply, although his playful smile remained.

"Hey Peppy!" A blonde girl across the table chimed.

Pepper looked to Tony for an explanation, but he appeared to be attempting to hide his laughter by looking down and trying to keep a straight face. However, the persistent smile continued to tug on his lips and Pepper was ready to kick him under the table.

"Uh, Hi." Pepper replied, forcing a smile that obviously looked fake, but the girl didn't seem to notice.

"I'm Christine! Christine Everhart!"

"Nice to meet you…" Pepper let the words roll off her tongue and carefully studied Christine and her cronies. They were all staring at her in what appeared to be awe.

She kind of expected to have more attention when she returned to school, but nothing like this.

She had specifically seen Christine talk behind her back, so Pepper was reluctant to further engage in feeble chatter. A girl beside Christine also introduced herself, "I'm Renee." She grinned and Pepper couldn't help but stare at her pointed cheekbones. All of these girls were amazing in the looks department, hence, why they were the most popular in the school. They were notorious for their cut throat approach and ability to gossip.

Pepper smiled but remained hesitant. As if she was going to try and befriend one of these girls, a week ago they had wanted nothing to do with her. Pepper suspected that her newfound close friendship with Tony had sparked the eagerness of the girls, whenever something, or someone was profoundly 'popular', Christine and her group latched onto it.

The remainder of lunch consisted of mostly small talk between the girls and Pepper, and Tony and Rhodey talked amongst themselves. Pepper prayed that Tony would save her from this never-ending conversation about earrings, but she continued to smile and nod, pretending that she was engaged in the tiresome conversation.

"We're like, so sorry about what happened at the party Pepper." Christine and her group sympathetically nodded all at the same time. Pepper quickly noted how creepy it looked.

"Yeah that must have been terrible!" Renee added.

"Uh, yeah." Pepper replied, she now desperately wanted to talk about earrings.

"So you were like, drugged? Were you like injected or what?" A small but busty girl called Dana blurted.

Christine elbowed her friend, "No, didn't you hear? It was like put into her drink. Jesus Dana."

"Sorry." Dana shrugged.

Pepper gazed downwards, wanting the conversation to end there.

"So did Tony 'save' you or what?" Christine grinned and placed air quotations on the word 'save'.

"Um…"

"You guys totally hooked up didn't you?" Christine's eyes glinted as she dug for details.

"No…I, uh…"

"I heard you guys hooked up, Harry saw it!"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Pepper squirmed.

Christine leaned forward, "That whole drugging thing was a damsel in distress act to get Tony right?"

"What?" Pepper couldn't believe her ears.

"Don't deny it Pepper!" Renee smirked.

These girls were obviously trying to get gossip out of her, and Pepper was ready to punch Christine's almost too perfect nose.

"Guys." His voice rang through her ears.

Pepper immediately snapped her head towards Tony, pleased to finally escape Christine's wrath.

"What?" Christine innocently asked, tilting her head in false confusion.

God she was good.

"I'm going to go." Pepper decided and stood from her seat, silently hoping that Tony wasn't…

Damnit.

"Why?" His brows furrowed and she nearly swore under her breath.

"Because lunch is nearly over, and I need to get my books." Pepper crossed her arms, trying to hide her desperation to get away from the cafeteria as soon as humanly possible.

"I'll come." Tony also stood and Rhodey waved bye at both of them.

"They are such a couple." Christine intentionally loudly whispered and Pepper clenched her fists by her side while biting the inside of her cheek.

Tony appeared to have not heard Christine's comment and the two walked out of the cafeteria, with Pepper's stride much more purposeful.

"So Peppy…" Tony lightly smiled as she paced to her locker.

"Don't even." Pepper growled and Tony laughed.

"Christine and Renee and the rest are complete air heads. Don't listen to them."

"Oh I know." Pepper frustratingly sighed as her locker combination continually failed after 3 attempts.

Tony leaned against the neighbouring lockers, letting his hand support his whole body and attempting to pose seductively. He looked at her seriously, "Did you like sitting with me this lunch Peppy?"

She tried to keep a straight face but had to hide her growing smile behind the door of her locker.

"Well, if you minus Christine and her shit, then yes. I enjoyed myself." Pepper replied; her voice muffled by the metal wall between her and Tony.

"What did she say?" His tone altered to a curious one, he had only heard Renee tease Pepper and saw her looking uncomfortable before he interfered.

"Just stupid stuff." Pepper tried to busy herself behind the metal security blanket of her locker, she didn't really want to face Tony and tell him that according to 'everyone' they kissed at the party, an event that she had failed to recollect. A part of her hoped that what Christine said was true, but the reasonable side of her denied the very possibility of it confirming that it was a rumour.

"Well, if she's bothering you again, don't be afraid to tell me." Tony sighed in defeat. She obviously didn't want to talk about it, and hoped that she would maybe bring it up in her own time.

"I can look after myself." Pepper closed her locker and crossed her arms.

"I didn't mean…"

"Whatever." She smiled. "I'll text you tonight." With that, Pepper walked down the hallway, praying she wouldn't run into Christine on her way to English.

* * *

"You shouldn't be texting him." Tilly sighed as she walked into her sister's room.

"What? I'm….not, no." Pepper quickly put her phone under her pillow.

"You were smiling while you were texting. Dead giveaway."

"You were watching me?" Pepper frowned.

"Well Mum and Dad were wondering why you left dinner so quickly, and sent me up here to check on you." Tilly stood in front of Pepper and crossed her arms.

"Well, I'm not texting him, I'm texting a friend." Pepper grabbed her phone. "Oh, and what makes you think me smiling while texting makes it Tony? It could be anyone!"

"But it says Tony on your phone." Tilly pointed at the flashing screen in Pepper's hand. Pepper quickly fumbled to turn the device off, drawing a giggle out of Matilda.

"Please don't tell them." Pepper sighed as her sister stood above her, obviously the powerful figure in the room.

Tilly paced across the room, "I won't." Pepper grinned but was silenced by a wave of a finger by Tilly, "Nuh uh uh! I have conditions."

Pepper groaned, "You are such a little shit."

Tilly continued, "I won't tell Mum or Dad if…. You and Tony go on a date, and I get to come."

"We aren't dating!" Pepper interjected.

"Huh?" Tilly stopped pacing.

"Just friends!"

"Yeah, nah. He really likes you Pep, and you really like him, just make out already." Tilly smirked.

"Get out." Pepper threw her pillow at her sister.

"Fine." Tilly huffed, "I guess I'll tell….."

"I can't go on a date with him if we aren't dating Matilda." Pepper moaned.

"Change the deal, I'll do anything, clean your room, do your dishes for 2 weeks, you name it."

"No. I want to hang out with you and Tony." Tilly sighed.

"Ugh, fine." Pepper figured that they could possibly work on their science project together at Tony's place, and Tilly could probably tag along.

"Yes!" Tilly squealed, "Quick! Text him saying that we're going to see a movie this Friday, um, I think a scary one would be good, so you can cuddle up to him…"

"Shut up! Do you want to come or not?"

Tilly nodded enthusiastically and watched as her sister whipped out her phone.

"We aren't seeing a movie Till. But I can organise something else."

Matilda sighed, "What?"

"Gimme a sec will you?"

Tilly rolled her eyes but obliged.

Pepper quickly typed,

**Hey, we should work on the science project sometime this week shouldn't we?**

Immediately, Tony replied,

**Oh yeah, hmmmm….. My place? Tomorrow night?**

Pepper smiled and Tilly quickly asked, "What did he say?"

**Sounds good, but I have one problem.**

Tony responded,

**What? Not feeling too confident working with hazardous chemicals? My dad has this whole lab downstairs so it will be awesome.**

Pepper answered,

**No, but that sounds great. I have to look after Tilly. Mind if she comes along?**

After a brief second, her phone buzzed with his reply,

**That's cool, bring her along :)**

"He said yes." Pepper announced and Tilly fist pumped the air.

**Thanks! She's kind of excited. By kind of I mean extremely.**

"So what are we going to do?" Tilly eagerly asked.

"We're going to his house." Pepper smiled.

"Oh my god what!"

"To do chemistry!"

Tilly looked at her sister and shook her head, "That sounded wrong."

Pepper quickly corrected herself, "A chemistry assignment."

"That's boring." Tilly quickly deflated.

"Well that's as good as I can get."

Matilda headed for Pepper's door, "Hopefully when you guys become a full on couple, you'll go on proper dates. But for now, I guess this will suffice."

* * *

**I had to put Tilly in there, I feel like we hadn't had a sisterly bonding moment in a while AAHHAHA**

**Who's excited for the "date"?**

**Oh and thoughts on Christine? I ain't fond of her :P**

**Please write something and press that review button, it's so nice to see your guy's comments, and I'll try to reply to each one :)**


	16. Update AGAIN!

Okay.

I know I know, I'm sorry for being the deadbeat Dad in our relationship, I've missed you too.

However, when 7000 word History and English assignments loom, I am unable to write fan fiction :( BUT, these assignments are due soon, meaning that you guys would probably get an update in about a week or two.

I'm so sorry, I don't want to disappoint you guys, and by the looks of the last chapter, I've lost a lot of readers :( This is so upsetting, if you do read my fics, please pop me a review of encouragement, I'm just feeling that my work isn't being appreciated anymore, thus leading to by neglection (is that even a word) of writing my stories (Okay i looked it up, it is not a word, oh well.)

I just don't feel motivated anymore when I see my review numbers dramatically increase :( SO IF YOU'RE OUT THERE, SAY HELLO, I LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU :D

Sorry for the rant!

And on a lighter note, I won tickets to a VIP advanced screening of Thor the Dark World and I just saw it and... LDILKJAFAELUKGHCNNGRKSUEHBJNFGHJSKBILJGSUTHB there are no words for my feelings. Go and see it as soon as you can, you will not regret it. I found myself crying of laughter, and crying from utter sadness. Easily one of the best movies I've seen this year! OH AND THE TWIST...HOLY MOTHER OF DEMIGOD

Hopefully see you in a week and a bit :)

Thanks to those who have stuck by me and continued to review, you're the best.

Oh and get excited for the next chapter (awkward Pepperony date *maybe including kissing* with Tilly around and possibly a *cringe* Howard cameo)

Jewels xxx


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